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MEMOIR or REV. S. J. MILLS. 



MEMOIR 



OF 



SAMUEL JOHN MILLS. 



BY GARDINER SPRING, D. D. 



SECOND EDITION. 




BOSTOIV : 

PUBLISHED BY PERKINS & MARVIN. 

NEW-YORK : 
J. LEAVITT, AND J. P. HAVEN. 



1829. 






A ~ 



DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS to wit: 

District Clerk's Office. 
Be it lememberpd, that on the twenty sixth day of September, 
A. D. l829, in the fifty fourth year of the Independence of the 
United States of America, Perkins & Marvin, of the said Dis- 
trict, have deposited in this Office the Title of a Book, the right 
whereof they claim as Proprietors, in the words following, 
to wit ; — " Memoir of Samuel John Mills. By Gardiner Spring, 
D. D. Second edition." 

In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, 
entitled " An Act for the encouragement of learning, by securing 
the copies of maps, charts and books, to the authors and proprietors 
of such copies, during the times therein mentioned :" and also to an 
Act entitled " An Act supplementary to an Act entitled An Act for 
the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts 
and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the 
times therein mentioned ; and extending the benefits thereof to the 
arts of designing, engraving and etching historical and other prints." 

TTCn W nAVT«? i Clerk of the District 
Ji\U. W. l>AVlte, j of Massachusetts. 



/d^ 



This second edition was prepared by the Committee on 
Foreig-n Missions, a branch of the Society of Inquiry respecting 
Missions, in the Theological Seminary at Andover. 

The Committee have availed themselves of so much of the 
assistance of the Rev. Dr. Spring as his arduous and pressing 
labors would allow him to bestow. They have been studiously 
anxious to preserve entire the excellent original. They trust 
that, with the additions which have been made with much care^ 
the work will gratify the public demand, and in its present 
convenient form will obtain a free circulation among those who 
are best able to appreciate its value, and among the young, 
whom it is peculiarly adapted to lead to right habits of feeling 
and action. 

In behalf of the Committee on Foreign Missions. 

E. C. BRIDGMAN. 
C. W. ALLEN. 

TUd, Sem. Andovei^, S^i. 22, mm. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Page. 
His youth and conversion, 1 

CHAPTER n. 
His education, and early devotion to the Missionary cause, 9 

CHAPTER HI. 

His interest and agency in the promotion of Foreign 
Missions, 19 

CHAPTER IV. 

His acquaintance with Obookiah, and the consequent es- 
tablishment of the Foreign Mission School, 44 

CHAPTER V. 

His Missionary tours into the Western and Southern sec- 
tions of the United States, . 69 

CHAPTER VI. 

His instrumentality in bringing forward the American Bible 
Society, and the United Foreign Missionary Society, . . 88 

CHAPTER VH. 

His residence in New York, and his exertions in behalf of 
the poor and ignorant in that city, 103 

CHAPTER VHI. 
His exertions in behalf of Africa, . 116 



VIU CONTENTS. 

Pag« 
CHAPTER IX. 

His Journal as Agent of the ColoDization Society; 158 

CHAPTER X. 
His last illness and death, .233 

CHAPTER XI. 

His general character, 239 

Conclusion; 252 



MEMOIR OF RET. SAMUEL. J. MILLS. 



CHAPTER I. 

His Youth and Conversion, 

Next to the devotions of the closet, and the 
perusal of the Holy Scriptures, there are few- 
means of advancement in the divine life better 
adapted to their end, than a familiar acquaint- 
ance vAih the lives of godly men. If Religion 
appears lovely when portrayed merely in the 
simplicity and amiableness of her principles, 
how much more lovely when exhibited in the 
purity and benevolence of her conduct. When 
w^e see something more than right views and 
holy dispositions ; when we behold not the por- 
trait, but the living features of her excellence ; 
her image sinks into the soul. Few can rise 
from the Biography of such men as Xavier, Be- 
veridge, Baxter, Brainerd, Edwards, and Fuller, 
without deep and vivid impressions of the worth 
of piety, and of the importance and feasibility of 
eminent attainments. Who that has traced the 
footsteps of some favored child of mercy through 
all the toil and discouragement of the Christian 
life — that has seen his heavenly spirit — that has 
witnessed his piety toward God, and his benefi- 
1 



2 MEMOIR OF 

cence toward men — that, with delighted admira- 
tion, has pursued his path to the threshold of 
heaven— has not been eager to catch his falling 
mantle, and bless the Father of Mercies for rais- 
ing up men to shine as lights in the world, and 
to shed a lustre through a long line of succeed- 
ing generations. 

No inconsiderable portion of this hallowed 
feeling will, it is believed, be excited by con- 
templating the character of the late Samuel J. 
Mills. If any man has a claim that his real 
character should be exhibited, and the extent of 
his usefulness impartially developed, this claim 
belongs to the subject of these Memoirs. While 
few men have more merited public applause and 
gratitude, few of such eminent usefulness have 
received less than he. These we know were 
not the rewards he sought ; but it is not the less 
delightful, nor the less dutiful, that they should 
be the tribute we pay. 

It was the privilege of this beloved man to be 
the child of pious parents. He was the son of 
a venerable clergyman, * whose praise is in the 
churches,' and who is now the Pastor of a re- 
spectable congregation in Torringford, in the 
county of Litchfield, State of Connecticut, His 
mother was the daughter of Samuel Robbins, of 
a respectable family originally from Wethers- 
field, in Hartford county, in the same State. 
She was a woman of very exemplary character 
and pre-eminent piety, and one whose memory 
is embalmed in the hearts of all who knew her. 



REV, SAMUEL J. MILLS. d 

Samuel was their seventh child, and was born 
the21st of April, 1783. 

Could we without sacrilege enter the sanctua- 
ry of a mother's bosom, we might whisper a tale 
that would account for the distinguished useful- 
ness with which God has condescended to favor 
some of the best of men. Many a godly mother 
can say, — '^ I have had peculiar solicitudes re- 
specting this child. Even before its birth, I de- 
dicated it to the Lord, and then engaged that 
it should be unreservedly devoted to his glory. 
And when the little immortal was committed to 
my arms, with many prayers an(^ tears did I re- 
new my engagements, till it was strongly im- 
pressed on my mind, that God had heard my cry 
and accepted my offering.^' This is something 
more than fiction in relation to Mr. Mills. A 
plant so early watered might be expected to en- 
joy the most patient care and unremitting ten- 
derness in its progressive maturity. ** Train 
up a child in the way he should go, and when 
he is old he will not depart from it," is a maxim 
too full of obligation and encouragement, to 
have been so long lost sight of by too many of 
the Christian Church. It is a precious thought, 
that God has engaged to preserve a Church in 
the world from the children of believing parents. 
What pious parent will not be inspirited in his 
duty, when he surveys the children of his care, 
and remembers that it was once said, ** of such 
is the kingdom of heaven !" 

The childhood and youth of Mr. Mills were 



4 MEMOIR OF 

chiefly spent under his fether's roof, in the pos- 
session of the most faithful instructions, and of 
the best kind. When quite a child, his mind 
exhibited no common sensibility to the concerns 
of religion, and was easily and sometimes deep- 
ly affected with his neglect of religious oppor- 
tunities, and his ruined condition as a sinner. 
These impressions gradually wore away, until 
the year 1798, when they were revived, and his 
attention powerfully arrested, during a season 
of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon his 
native town. This revival of religion took place 
about the time of a very general *' outpouring'* 
upon the churches of New-England ; when about 
one hundred and fifty congregations were visit- 
ed with seasons of refreshing from the divine 
presence. 

Young Mills was then fifteen years of age. 
Naturally very retired and incommunicative, he 
was least of all disposed to say much concerning 
the exercises of his own mind. But such were 
his views of his own sinfulness, so severe his 
distress, and so bitter his opposition to God, that 
he would sometimes ** break out in expressions 
of unyielding rebellion.^'- With nothing was his 
dissatisfaction more painful, than the discrimi- 
nations of the divine favor in showing mercy to 
those who were around him, while he himself 
was apparently left to obduracy and ruin. He 
had beheld many of his companions in years 
and in sin, together with an elder brother, a 
sister and a cousin, all residing under the same 



RET. SAMUEL 2, MILLS. O 

roofj rejoicing in hope, and united to the visible 
Church ; while he himself obtained no relief 
from his agony, but remained in ^* the gall of bit- 
terness and the bond of iniquity," Such was his 
state of mind for many months, and such it con- 
tinued, when the revival began to decline, and 
when it was gone by 1 Two full years he re- 
mained in this dismal frame of mind, still refus- 
ing to bow at the footstool of mercy ; and, to 
adopt his own sentiment, *' at heart still cursing 
the day in which he was born." But he had 
seen too much of his own vileness to relapse in- 
to a state of unconcern. With \some apparent 
mitigation of his distress he left his father's 
house for a neighboring town, to take charge of 
a farm that had been bequeathed him by his 
maternal grandmother. His letters during this 
period, convince us that there was much in this 
absence from the bosom and prayers of his en- 
deared family, to increase his apprehensions, 
that he should at last be an exile from God's 
presence, and an outcast from the community of 
his people. In November, 1801, he returned 
home with the view of spending the winter at an 
Academy in the town of Litchfield, about twelve 
miles off, but with no repose to his depressed 
and troubled mind. On the morning of his de- 
parture for Litchfield, ever anxious for her son, 
and never more than now, his mother took an 
opportunity of inquiring into the state of his 
mind, and begged him to make an ingenuous 
disclosure of his feelings. For a moment he 
1* 



6 MEMOIR OF 

\Ta9 silent, and wept ; but his heart was io& 
full, long to suppress the emotions produced 
by so affecting a request. He raised his 
head, and with eyes streaming with tears, ex- 
claimed, ** O that I had never been born ! O 
that I had never been born 1 For two years I 
have been sorry God ever made me." What 
reply could such a mother make to such a dis- 
closure? It was given her in that same hour 
what she should speak : — *' My son," said she^ 
*' you are born, and you can never throw off 
your existence, nor your everlasting accounta- 
bility for all your conduct." This heavy thought 
was like a dagger to his soul. His mother ex- 
pressed her fears that he had never thoroughly 
seen the evil of his own heart, and that he had 
much to learn before he was acquainted with 
himself; — to which he ventured to say, ** I have 
seen to the very bottom of hell !" With this 
frame of mind, he took a melancholy leave of 
his parents for the winter ; and it was a day 
never to be forgotten in the life of Mr. Mills, nor 
in our recollection of those splendid schemes of 
benevolence which characterized his subsequent 
history, and to which the events of this day bore 
so intimate a relation. What took place under 
his father's roof, may be easily conjectured ; — 
a scene, apparently of very little moment, and 
never unveiled till now — a scene, the world 
would scarcely deign to look at, but one on 
which God looks down with smiles — a scene, 
in which no prince or princess is the actor, but 



REr. SAMUEL J. MILLS. / 

one which princes might come down from their 
thrones to emulate :— a devout and humble wo- 
man, wrestling with- the Angel of the Covenant^ 
and as a prince obtaining power to prevail ! 

The farewell to his mother drove her to her 
knees. There is such a thing -as special faith 
in prayer. It was such to this dear saint, when 
she went to plead for her poor son. She felt 
his sorrows and her own ; and God was pleased 
not only to show her that all her help was in 
him, but to enable her to feel that to him could 
her heart turn as her only God in covenant, 
and from him could it find unutterable relief 
She did not leave her closet, till she found the 
full relief she sought, and till her mind was con- 
fidently assured that God would remember mer- 
cy for her child ! It ought to be recorded, that 
on that very morning, it pleased the Holy Ghost, 
as she afterwards ascertained, to knock off the 
chains from this unhappy prisoner, and intro- 
duce him into the liberty of the sons of God. 
He had not gone far, before he had such a view 
of the perfections of God, that he wondered he 
had never seen their beauty and glory before. 
There was nothing in God now which distres- 
sed him. He had lost all his opposition to the 
divine sovereignty ; and, such were his views 
of this adorable perfection, that he could not 
refrain from exclaiming, '^ O glorious sovereign- 
ty ! O glorious sovereignty !" He retired a 
small distance into the woods, that he might be 
the more at liberty to contemplate the character 



8 MEMOIR OF 

of God, and adore and extol his holy and amia- 
ble sovereignly : but he here saw so much of 
God, that his mind was almost lost in the over- 
whelming manifestation. The scene was alto- 
gether new. There was a wonderful change 
either in God or in him. Every thing was gild- 
ed with light and glory ; and now and then, as 
he gazed at the splendor and majesty of the 
divine character, he would still exclaim, *'0 
glorious sovereignty !" It does not appear that 
in all this he was bribed into acquiescence. 
'^ His mind was so constantly occupied in view- 
ing the perfections of God, and in meditating on 
his v/ord and works, and so continued for seve- 
ral weeks, that he did not think of himself with 
any degree of concern." Such is the nature of 
genuine religion. It is far from being indispen- 
sable to our cordial acquiescence in God's char- 
acter and government, to be persuaded that we 
are interested in his mercy. Though from Mr. 
Mills's letters, his friends were induced to hope 
that some change had taken place in his views; 
he himself was conscious of no hope, till about 
three months after this period. " Surely, it shall 
be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God 
wrought !" 



KEY. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 9 



CHAP. II. 

His Education and early devotion to the 3Iis' 
sionary cause. 

\yE can scarcely fail to have observed, that 
the Divine Spirit often gives a particular im- 
pulse in conversion, which prepares its subject 
for some particular service. There are those 
who are impressed with enlarged views of divine 
truth ; and not unfrequently of the importance, 
consistency, and beauty of some particular 
truths, which in the developments of Divine 
Providence, it is seen they are destined to de- 
fend and maintain. And there are those who 
are almost instantaneously roused to purposes of 
active benevolence, and the first discernible 
tendencies of whose affections are toward the 
wants and woes of their perishing fellow-men. 
To one who is conversant with the peculiarities 
of their exercises on spiritual subjects, it is not 
more certain, that Jonathan Edwards and An- 
drew Fuller were prepared, in the early stages 
of their Christian experience, for the distinguish- 
ed part they have acted in illustrating and de- 
monstrating the grand truths of revealed religion. 



10 MEMOIR OF 

than were David Brainerd and Samuel J. Mills, 
for distinguished efforts as Missionaries of the 
cross. 

The direction of young Mills's thoughts may 
be gathered from a single suggestion, soon after 
his return from Litchfield. The first idea his 
father had of his change of mind, arose from an 
observation he made, *^ that he could not conceive 
of any course of life in which to pass the rest of 
his days^ that weuld prove so pleasant^ as to go 
and communicate the gospel salvation to the poor 
heathen:^ His attention was directed to this 
subject by remarks, which in his childhood he 
had often heard from the lips of his mother. 
She was a Blissionary icoman, and frequently 
spake of Brainerd, and Eliot, and other Mission- 
aries : and as she dwelt upon the glorious cause 
in which they were engaged, he once heard her 
say respecting himself — '^ / have consecrated 
this child to the service of God as a Missionary.^^ 
This remark made an impression on his mind 
that was never effaced. Thus early did a sove- 
reign God, who has pity on the heathen, set 
apart Samuel J. Mills for a Missionary. And it 
is somewhat remarkable, that from the first hour 
of his conversion he never lost sight of his dar- 
ling object. Though but a youth of nineteen, 
he discovered a zeal in the Missionary cause, 
an eagerness in the pursuit of Missionary in- 
telligence, and an enlargement of thought in his 
plans, to become acquainted with the true state 
of the unevangelized world, which left little doubt 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 11 

that he was chained to his purpose by a superi- 
or power. 

It was a heart yearning over the miseries of 
perishing millions, that first led him to think of 
acquiring an education with a view to the gospel 
ministry. Having consulted his parents, and 
unfolded all his purpose, which, should God per- 
mit, was no less than to devote his life to the 
cause of Missions in foreign lands ; and having 
received their approbation and their blessing, he 
resolved on measures for changing his course of 
life. Though the determination of the son 
gained the joyful approbation of \his parents, it 
w^as not without feelings of self-denial : for 
when he told his mother of his determination to 
go to the heathen, with the feelings of a mother, 
she replied — ** / cannot hear to part witli you, 
my son." But when he reminded her of what 
she had said to him when a child, she burst into 
tears, and never after made the least objection. 
The Spirit of God came over him, like Elisha in 
the field. While toiling at the plough, was his 
heart touched with compassion for the heathen 
world ; and he bid adieu to his farm, to obtain an 
education on purpose to carry the gospel to mil- 
lions who perish for lack of knowledge. Thus, 
in a retired field in Litchfield county, wa.s the 
King of Zion beginning that grand course of op- 
erations which have produced such a mighty 
revolution in the American Churches, and 
which bear so intimate a relation to the progres- 
sive glories of his kingdom. Having put his 



12 ME3I0IR OF 

secular concerns into other hands, Mills became 
a member of Williams College, in Massachu- 
setts, in the Spring of 1806. He connected 
himself with the Church under the pastoral care 
of his father, on the first Sabbath of June fol- 
lowing, while on a visit at home, and shortly 
after returned to college. As a scholar, he was 
of respectable standing; but as a youth who 
'* walked v/ith God," and whose uniform deport- 
ment evinced that he was devoted to interests 
superior to his own, he shone as a light in the 
earth. Ardent and matured as his piety was at 
more advanced periods, it may be said of Mr. 
Mills, that he began his career very much as he 
ended it. At this early period, his piety was of 
that strong, yet fervent — that unostentatious, yet 
practical and efficient kind, that gave the high- 
est evidence that be was a child of God. Enga- 
ged in pursuits, in which many a godly youth 
is allured from duty, by the glare of science and 
the love of fame, he not merely retained his in- 
tegrity, and made sensible progression in holi- 
ness, but by a deportment so circumspect and 
kind, that even the enemies of religion could 
not but respect him ; and by a consistency and 
sweetness of character, which gave so much lus- 
tre to vital piety, that his friends felt the re- 
proach of his example, — did he become the 
means of conversion, steadfastness, and zeal, 
and will be long remembered as a distinguished 
blessing to the seminary of which he was a 
member. 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 13 

To many a pious youth, the weight of moral 
obligation seems to be too much suspended dur- 
ing a four years' residence within the walls of a 
college. Too many appear to feel that they 
have discharged their obligations, while, irre- 
spective of the present, they only prepare for the 
future ; and it does not come within the purview 
of their plans to do good, but only to obtain it. 
It may possibly deserve reflection, whether the 
indifference of the pious young men who are 
members of our colleges, to the obligations of 
active usefulness, may not be one reason why 
the light of science so often daz2^1es only to at- 
tract and consume the insect that carelessly flut- 
ters around it, and why our seminaries of learn- 
ing, with all their eminent usefulness, so fre- 
quently prove a snare. Every where Mills's 
object was but one. To him, nothing had 
charms so powerful, as the glory of his Redeem- 
er, and the salvation of men. The conversion of 
a sinner from the error of his ways, the deliver- 
ance of one immortal beinof from everlastinor 
burnings, was to his benevolent mind enough to 
compensate a thousand fold for all the laurels of 
a Caesar. While he was a member of college, 
there was a revival of religion in that institution, 
of which he was the chief instrument. There 
are not a few of his fellow-students now in the 
ministry, who owe their hopes of heaven, and 
their usefulness on earth, to his instrumentality. 
Nor would we fail to remark, that some of those 
2 



14 MEMOIR OF 

beloved meji, whom the American Church has 
been permitted to send into the seclusions of 
our own wildernesses, and to plant on the banks 
of the Ganges and the Indus, will long remem- 
ber his instrumentality in their conversion and 
Missionary zeal. His cotemporaries at the col- 
lege will delight to linger on the recollection 
of his excellence ; and can never forget how the 
salvation of the dear youth with whom he was 
associated, the revival of pure and undefiled re- 
ligion, and the desolations of the heathen world, 
were themes that often drew tears from his eyes 
and persuasion from his tongue, as he visited 
from room to room, and walked from grove to 
grove. 

The following extracts from his own Diary 
will better evince the state of his mind at this 
period, and be more gratifying to our readers, 
than any narrative of our own. 

^^ June 25, 1806. I hope I shall have an op- 
portunity to retire and address the throne of 
grace to-day without molestation. O that God 
would be with me, and assist me in the perfor- 
mance of duty ! It will be a stupid time indeed, 
if the Lord does not pour down his Spirit, and 
convince me of my unworthiness and depen- 
dence. O how unworthy we are at this institu- 
tion to partake of the crumbs that fall from our 
Master's table ! Blessed be God, he has, as I 
trust, wrought a good work upon the hearts of 
some, and is forcing conviction and light upon 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 15 

the minds of others. I hope nothing may retard 
the progress of this most glorious work. 

" Thursday, 26. Attended conference this 
evening, composed principally of the Freshman 
Class. A very good meeting. Many very so- 
lemn ; K much cast down. It was very 

evident God was striving with some of his diso- 
bedient creatures. The work is the Lord's, and 
he is abundantly able to carry it on. — Arise, O 
Lord, thou and the ark of thy strength ! It 
seems to me I never lono^ed so much for the 
Sabbath as I do now. I am afraid the impres- 
sions of my classmates will weai; off. But all 
things are possible with God. 

" Saturday, 28. Think I feel something of a 
praying frame this morning. — O for more fervor, 
more engagedness, more activity, in the cause 
of the blessed God ! I hope this may be a sweet 
day to my soul. Think I see something of my 
unworthiness. 

" Nov. 10. [After vacation.] I have been in 
town two weeks. Professing Christians not so 
much alive as they generally were last term. O 
that God would revive us again ! — that his saints 
might rejoice, and that immortal souls might be 
ransomed from eternal death ! O that He 
would make his children feel their dependence, 
and bring them to cast themselves at his foot- 
stool ! All our strengtli is from the Lord : I 
hope he will not cast us off forever, but carry 
on his own work as best pleases him. We are 
brought very low ; and if the Lord look not up- 



16 MEMOIR OP 

on us, where is our hope? Where can we look 
but to thy holy hill V 

The outpouring of God's Spirit, here alluded 
to, though not very extensive, was among the 
most signal expressions of favor to the Church. 
The instrumentality the subject of these Me- 
moirs had in this work of grace, we shall lay 
before the reader, in the language of one of his 
most valued classmates, who is now succesfully 
engaged in the Christian ministry. '* During 
the last term of his first year, there was a revi- 
val of religion in college, which commenced in 
his class. It was then my opinion, and I believe 
the general opinion, that Mr. Mills was princi- 
pally instrumental, in the hands of God, in pro- 
ducing the blessed Vv^ork. Certain it is, that no 
one was so much resorted to as he, by those un- 
der serious impressions. He was singularly de- 
voted and engaged, a little before the revival 
commenced, and while it lasted. Nor did he, 
after it had ceased, relapse into that state of 
apathy and indifference so common with many, 
and to which there are so many temptations in 
college. It may well be said of him, that he 
* walked with God,' and I trust his footsteps 
were seen long after he left the college.'^ 

It is in itself grateful, and of some importance 
to the subsequent parts of his history, to observe 
the invariable tendency of his mind toward the 
grand objects of benevolence to which his life 
was so sacredly devoted. The following extract 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 17 

is from his Diary, while a member of college, 
though under an obliterated date. 

" O that I might be aroused from this care- 
less and stupid state, and be enabled to fill up 
life well 1 I think I can trust myself in the 
hands of God, and all that is dear to me ; but I 
long to have the time arrive, when the gospel 
shall be preached to the poor Africans, and 
hkew'isQ io all nations. ^^ 

Ejaculations like these were the true index 
of his soul. It is his zeal and\ exertions as a 
Christian philanthropist, that will attract the 
deepest and most profitable attention. In this 
respect, it is no exaggeration to say, he stands 
almost without a parallel aniong men not, actu- 
ated by the miraculous agency of the Holy 
Ghost. What the memorable Howard was in 
some few branches of temporal charity, was 
Samuel J. Mills, in a vast variety of simple yet 
magnificent plans of Christian beneficence. Few 
who knew him will question the justice of the 
observation, that he possessed feelings which suf- 
fered him to say very little of himself. Though 
one of the most modest men I ever saw, he once 
said to a confidential friend, and a brother 
in the ministry, of a kindred spirit, '' Brother 

C s, though you and I are very little beings, 

we must not rest satisfied till we have made 
our influence extend to the remotest corner of 

this ruined world." r-This was his real spirit. 

2% 



18 MEMOIR OF 

Simply to become a Missionary himself, and 
live and die in Pagan lands, surrounded with 
all the evidences of successful labor, was with 
him a very small matter. His charities were 
the most exalted, and his plans most sublime. 
He knew how to labor for an interest, distant 
enough to bring nothing to himself, and " form 
a purpose to feel and act efficiently for more 
than two-thirds of the human race, never bap- 
tized by the Christian name." 



REV, SAMUEL J. MILLS. 19 



CHAP. HI. 



His interest and agency in the promotion of 
Foreign Missions, 

Among the projects in which Mr. Mills took a 
deep interest, and which was the first in his 
own estimation at the time it ^^as conceived, 
was the design of propagating the gospel among 
the heathen in foreign lands, by means of Mis- 
sionaries from this country. It is interesting to 
trace the connexion between the plans and 
measures devised by this single youth, in Wil- 
liams College, and many of the great movements 
which have since taken place in the American 
Church. Though very little is to be found 
among his own papers, which would disclose 
his instrumentality, the almost universal ac- 
knowledgment of men interested in Missionary 
concerns, attributes to Mr. Mills a distinguished 
agency in bringing forward a new era in the 
history of Missions in this Western World. 

The dawn of a Missionary spirit had begun 
to appear in some of the American Churches 
before. To those who have observed the signs 
of the times, it cannot be doubtful that a new 
and splendid era on the other side of the Atlan- 



20 MEMOIR OF 

tic was introduced about seven-and-thirty years 
ago. In the year 1792, the first modern Mission- 
ary Society was established by Carey, Fuller, 
Pearce, and Rvland, at Kettering^, in England. 
In 1795, the London Missionary Society was 
instituted; and from this period Missionary in- 
stitutions have been increasing in number 
throughout the four quarters of the globe. 
America began gradually to participate in the 
sacred spirit. Aside from an establishment 
formed by the Moravians in 1734, and a branch 
of the Society in Scotland for Propagating 
Christian Knowledge among the Indians in 
North America, which was instituted at Boston, 
in 1787, the honor of commencincr the > first 
Missionary exertions in the United States be- 
longs to the General Assembly of the Presbyte- 
rian Church. At their first session, as early as 
the year 1789, that body passed an order re- 
quiring the Churches under their care to take 
up collections for a Missionary Fund ; and in 
1802, they established a Standing Committee of 
Missions, which has been in successful opera- 
tion from that time to the present. The New 
York Missionary Society was instituted in 1796; 
the Connecticut Missionary Society in 1798 ; 
the Massachusetts Missionary Society in 1799 ; 
and the New-Jersey Missionary Society in 
1801. 

Hitherto, however, the attention of the West- 
ern World had been exclusively turned to Do- 
mestic Missions, among the new settlements, 



nm, SAMUEL J. MILLS. 21 

and Indians. To the eye of the few who 
watched its growth, it was obvious that the germ 
of this tree of life had been gaining strength 
and activity ; but it was not destined to shoot 
out its branches to the river, and its boughs to 
the ends of the earth, till the period at which 
we have now arrived. That she had a distin- 
guished part to act in the conversion of six hun- 
dred millions of our guilty creation abroad, be- 
yond her destitute at home, was a thought that 
had never till now sunk into the bosom of the 
American Church. Why was it so ? Surely 
no nation possesses greater advantages for dis- 
seminating religious truth, whether we regard 
resources or men ; and no nation is under great- 
er obligations to make many and great exer- 
tions for this exalted object. Why should the 
nations of Europe, in the midst of all their con- 
flict and blood, have been sending their sons 
through different continents and to the islands 
of the sea, while America, this land of freedom, 
peace, wealth, and privilege, circumscribes her 
exertions to a handful of men within her own 
territory ? If there are any who at this late 
hour are backward to engage in this glorious 
enterprize, let them know, that the deliverance 
of the Pagan nations is sure ; — let them know 
that as God has given the heathen to his Son 
for an inheritance, so he has given the sanction 
of his own Spirit to means used for their con- 
version, — and that the most stupid and barba- 
rous of men have been brought within the fold 



22 MEMOIR OF 

of the Great Shepherd. If we do not choose to 
engage in this work, other nations, more faith- 
ful, will go forward and be crowned with suc- 
cess ; but, **we and our father's house shall be 
destroyed." 

In tracing the progress of thje Missionary spi- 
rit in this country, in respect of Foreign Mis- 
sions, we have little else to do than follow the 
leading events of Mr. Mills's life, from his first 
year in college, to the embarkation of the 
American Missionaries for Calcutta, under the 
direction of the American Board of Commis- 
sioners, in the year 1812. As has been already 
intimated, his devotion to the Missionary cause 
was early and invincible. It was not, however, 
until he became a member of college, that his 
spirit of Missions came out to view. It was 
then that the subject of Missions fastened upon 
his attention, engrossed the meditations of his 
serious hours, took deep hold of his feelings, 
and became the burden of his prayers. It 
seems to have been a peculiar visitation of the 
Spirit of God, that turned all the solicitude and 
affection of his heart to this object. He reflect- 
ed long and prayed much, before he disclosed 
his views ; and when he determined to unbur- 
den his mind, by conversing with two or three 
of his more intimate fellow-students, it was in a 
manner that deserves to be related : — He led 
them out into a meadow, at a distance from the 
college, to a retirement, probably familiar to 
himself, though little exposed to observation or 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 23 

liable to be approached, where, by the side of a 
large stack of hay, he devoted the day to prayer 
and fastinof, and familiar conversation on this 
new and interesting theme : when, much to his 
surprise and gratification, he found that the 
Spirit of God had been enkindling in their bo- 
soms the flame which had been so long burning 
in his own. 

Mills first, while in college, unbosomed him- 
self to Gordon Hall and James Richards, and 
afterwards to others. The reader will not be 
surprised to learn that from this hour, this en- 
deared retreat was often made \Solemn by the 
presence and hallowed by the piety of these 
dear young men. To this consecrated spot, on 
the banks of the Hoosack, they often repaired, 
on Saturday afternoons, to cherish the high-born 
influence, and dedicate themselves renewedly to 
Christ in this cause ; to spend many a blessed 
day in humiliation, fasting and prayer ; and there 
to offer to a present God those early and fervent 
supplications, to which may be traced the insti- 
tution of Foreign Missions in the American 
Churches. Thus they continued to talk to- 
gether, and pray over the subject, from some time 
in the summer or autumn of 1807 to the spring 
of 1808, when a Society was organized, whose 
operations and existence were entirely unknown 
to the rest of the college. This Society was 
formed by Mills, Richards, and two or three 
others, in the north-west lower room of the east 
college ; in which the Society with considera- 



24 MEMOIR OF 

ble additions used afterwards to meet. The 
object of this Society was to make inquiries, and 

to organize plans for future Missions.- There 

is something inexpressibly pleasant in those sea- 
sons of favored devotion, when the mind per- 
ceives the coincidence between some of its own 
best emotions and the operations of the Holy 
Spirit. Such, we think, must frequently have 
been the gratification of this fraternal band. 

The mind of Mills and his associates had now 
received a new impulse ; and their paramount 
object was to devise measures to carry the plans 
which had begun to present themselves in some 
definite shape, into immediate execution. Pub- 
lic opinion was at this time decidedly opposed 
to the enterprize of Foreign Missions, such as 
Mills contemplated ; and good men even, often 
said that it was the offspring of an over-heated 
zeal, and would soon be forgotten. In order to 
correct this sentiment, and to carry forward their 
benevolent design, the following are among the 
expedients which they adopted. They intro- 
duced the subject to the attention of ministers^ 
and Christians, discussing the greatness of the 
end to be accomplished, and the means to be 
put in requisition. They re-published, at their 
own responsibility, two Missionary Sermons : 
one by Dr. Griffin, preached before the General 
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church ; the other 
by Dr. Livingston, preached before the New 
York Missionary Society for sending the gospel 
to the North American Indians. They circu- 



flEV. SAMUEL J. MILLS, 26 

lated these Sermons as generally as possible, 
and were in the habit of reading them in fami- 
lies, social companies of Christians, and in con- 
ference meetings whenever they had opportu- 
nity. They made out a written list of some of 
the most distinguished clergymen of their ac- 
quaintance, and determined to urge the subject 
upon their attention, until their object was ef- 
fected. Amonof this number were Drs. Wor- 
cester, Griffin, Morse, and Dana. These indi- 
viduals they visited repeatedly, and with some 
of them spent their vacations, laboring among 
their people, and at the same tim^ pressing their 
suit. Dr. Worcester was the first to " take 
fire." 

It was the part of Mills to devise plans, and 
then to put others in motion to execute them : 
for this he had a wonderful tact. He wished 
to be unseen in all his movements, and he 
seemed to be led while he was actually leading 
others. Of this trait of character his whole life 
affords a grand illustration, a particular instance 
of which we have in his studying divinity with 
Dr. Griffin. *' I had always refused," says the 
Dr. '' such applications ; but from the love I 
bore to him, I agreed to criticize one sermon a 
week. After that exercise, he would commonly 
sit, and draw letters very moderately and cau- 
tiously out of his pocket, and read passages to 
me on some benevolent project. At length I 
perceived that studying divinity with me had 
been quite a secondary object ; that his chief 
3 



26 MEMOIR OF 

object was to get me engaged to execute his 
plans. As soon as I discovered that, I told him 
to bring out his letters and all his plans, without 
reserve." 

Well persuaded that a successful appeal could 
not be made to the Churches, without first in- 
creasing^ the number of men who were willino^ 
to devote their lives to this self-denying service ; 
Mills and his associates commenced operation 
upon the minds of their fellow students, endea- 
voring to fill them with the knowledge and in- 
spire them with the spirit of Missions. It was 
a part of their plan to introduce similar Societies 
into other colleges. For this purpose one of their 
number left Williams and joined Middlebury 
College. Mills himself had made up his mind 
to transfer his rela.tion to Yale College, with 
the same design, and actually made a journey to 
New-Haven, to explore the ground. Attempts 
were made also to introduce the Society into 
Union and Dartmouth Colleges, which failed. 

Mills graduated September 5, 1809, and soon 
after became a resident graduate, for a few 
months, at Yale College. His ostensible object 
was the study of theology : but his real object 
was to ascertain whether there were not some 
kindred spirits in that institution, who could be 
excited and encouraged to participate in this 
glorious enterprize. The purpose of an all-per- 
vadiiio- Providence in this movement, was, how- 
ever, different from his own. Shortly after his 
arrival at New-Haven, he became acquainted 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 27 

with the lamented Obookiah, a heathen youth 
from one of the Sandwich Islands, who will be 
introduced to the attention of the reader in 
some subsequent part of this volume, and whose 
memory will long be tenderly cherished, espe- 
cially by the pious in our country. Though we 
can say little of the success of his visit to New- 
Haven, so far as relates to the infusion of a 
Missionary spirit, or increasing the active friends 
of Foreign Missions, among the members or 
graduates of the college ; subsequent events 
can hardly fail to leave the impression, that his 
steps were guided to that place\by no ordinary 
impulse. 

The following spring, Mr. Mills became a 
member of the Theological Seminary at Ando- 
ver. Soon after he united himself with this 
institution, he was visited with a very bitter 
bereavement, to which he alludes, with much 
characteristic sentiment, in the following let- 
ter : — It was the death of his mother. 

*'Dear Sir — I have just received your kind let- 
ter of January 24th, and thank you for the share 
you are pleased to take in our afflictions. May 
you, Sir, as you are disposed to mourn with 
those that mourn, receive the blessing of kind 
Heaven. 

** I hope my bosom will not heave a murmur- 
ing sigh because of this chastising stroke. God, 
as we trust, had redeemed the soul of our dear 
parent; and her Saviour, looking down, said, 



28 MEMOIR OF 

' Come up hither.' And why should we say to 
her pure spirit, ' Stay yet a little longer V What 
had we to offer her if she had tarried 1 Noth- 
ing, except that which we all inherit by the fall, 
* stripes, chains, and a dungeon,' For being 
sanctified but in part, her remaining sins would 
lead her astray, and she must be chastised to 
bring her back to God. These would have been 
her stripes. A thousand tender ties which bind 
us down to things which perish in the using, 
and ' pestered in this pin-hole here, which men 
call earth ;' — this her dungeon. It is thus we 
languish. And is not that a dungeon which 
excludes the matchless beauties of the eternal 
Godhead, and gives us not so fair a view as 
Moses had, when hid within the clefts of the 
rock ? She now is f?^ee indeed /—made free by 
grace, and doubly freed by death. When I 
left Andover, I thought most likely I should see 
my mother alive — when I arrived at Hartford, I 
was informed she was no more ! Her last sigh 
had escaped me. I hoped the information was 
not correct, and half believed it, until a second 
inquiry helped to confirm my fears. On my 
way, before I arrived home, I passed the burying 
ground ; and if I called there, I knew it would 
satisfy all doubts. If she was dead, I could tell 
where they had laid her ; for my father in my 
earliest days would lead me to the burying 
ground, and tell me where my mother would be 
buried, and where he should be laid ; and I would 
weep, and hope that I should lie there first,™ 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 29 

When I arrived at the burying ground, the grave 
was newly covered — it was my mother's ! Here 
I gave vent to the most impassioned burst of Wo. 
I wept not that my mother had gone to glory, 
but that I should see her face no more — no 
more should hear her warning voice — no more 
should share her prayers. Her dust is precious 
dust, and shall arise triumphant, when the 
trump of her Jesus shall call her to judgment. 
Upon my arrival home, I found the gray locks 
of an afflicted father iiad been shaken by the 
blast : still he seemed to be supported from 
above, and hopes, that as his day is, so his 
strength will be. He thanks you, dear Sir, and 
all his Christian friends, who remember him in 
their prayers." 

This dear woman died in the faith and hope 
of the gospel, on the 3Gth of December, 1810. 
It was while he was a member of the Theolo- 
gical Seminary, that the compiler of these sheets 
was first honored with an acquaintance with 
this invaluable man. Here Mr. Mills found 
several of his former companions, who had 
dedicated themselves to the cause of Missions 
while together at Williams College ; and here 
he renewed his operations with all his wonted 
zeal and energy. Whether any remnant of the 
Society, of which Mills and his companions were 
such bright ornaments, continued at Williams 
College after they removed to Andover, is not 
known ; btit certain it is that while they were 
3* 



30 



MEMOIR OF 



there, its influence in swaying the sentiment of 
the college, and in enlisting for their grand en- 
terprize the feelings of the public, was by no 
means inconsiderable. ^' 1 have been in situa- 
tions to know,'' says Dr. Griffin, ** that from the 
counsels formed in that sacred conclave, or from 
the mind of Mills himself, arose the American 
Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, 
the American Bible Society, the United Foreign 
Missionary Society, and the African School, 
under the care of the Synod of New York and 
New Jersey : besides all the impetus given to 
Domestic Missions, to the Colonization Society, 
and to the general cause of benevolence in both 
hemispheres." He then adds—** If I had any 
instrumentality in originating any of those 
measures, I here publicly declare, that in every 
instance, I received the first impulse from 
Samuel John Mills.'' 

The subject of Missions to the heathen had 
already begun to occupy the minds of several of 
the students not originally members of this So- 
ciety, and a number were seriously and painful- 
ly inquiring concerning their duty in this im- 
portant particular. Messrs. Newell, Judson, and 
Nott, in connexion with Messrs. Mills and Hall, 
held frequent consultations on this momentous 
subject, which issued in a resolution, to com- 
bine their exertions in immediately enterprizing 
a Mission to foreign lands. 

The writer well recollects the course Mr. 
Mills pursued while at Andover, to diffuse a 



Ul&r, SAMUEL J. MILLS. 31 

Missionary zeal throughout that seminar j. It 
was his method to attach himself to the compa- 
ny of those students whose mJnds were exercis- 
ed on the subject, and by judicious conversa- 
tion, by a careful and unimpassioned presenta- 
tion of the arguments, to bring them to adopt 
the conclusion, that it was their duty to devote 
their lives to the heathen. And never v/as an 
ambitious politician, seeking the honours and 
emoluments of oftice, more unremittingly or 
zealously engaged. His Missionary exertions 
constituted his relaxation from study ; and he 
might always be found, during his leisure hours, 
in little circles of his brethren, engaged in con- 
versation on these interesting topics. He had 
made himself complete master of the subject ; 
and daily might be seen, arm in arm, with one 
or more of his fellow-students, either provoking 
inquiry, or renewing former suggestions, or 
pressing the obligation to Missions upon their 
consciences, by considerations well nigh irresis- 
tible. There was a beautiful grove that spread' 
itself in the rear of the college buildings; and 
" along that shady walk," says one of his fellow 
Missionaries, ** where I have often walked, 
alone, Mr. Mills has often been my companion, 
and there urged the importance of Missions 
to the heathen. And when he had reached 
some sequestered spot, where there was no 
fear of interruption, he would say — * Come, God 
only can guide us right ; let us kneel down 
and pray : '—and then he would pour out his 



32 MEMOIR OF 

soul in ail ardent supplication for the blessing 
of God, and the guidance of his Holy Spirit." 

It is not difficult to conjecture the state of 
Mr. Mills's mind, when the subject of Foreign 
Missions began to be the theme of public dis- 
cussion, and the objections of " the wise and 
the unwise'' threatened to retard, if not en- 
tirely defeat, the benevolent project. At first 
view, there are objections to such an enterprize, 
which,^ however fallacious, are exceedingly plau- 
sible. If any should inquire why we take so 
much pains to send the gospel to the heathen, 
when we have so many destitute among our- 
selves ? Why attempt to supply the wants of 
China and Hindostan, when we must leave 
multitudes perishing at our own doors? — What 
think you is the reply of the world to such an 
objection as this ? *' If Christians really believe 
that Christ tasted death for every man, that 
there is salvation in no other, and that a great 
part of the world are actually perishing in igno- 
rance of this only Saviour ; — ^if they really be- 
lieve all this, why do they not concern them- 
selves to have this gospel made known to every 
creature ] Why has this been neglected so 
long T— And, alas 1 the heathen join in the 
same bitter reproach. The Missionary tells 
them that he has come to proclaim to them a 
Saviour, the Son of God, who has shed his 
blood to atone for the sins of the world; and 
who has commanded his servants to publish the 
glad tidings every where for the salvation of all 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 33 

men. — — When, says the Pagan, did this Sa- 
viour die ? Eighteen hundred years ago, replies 

the Missionary. -When did he command his 

servants to publish every where these good 
tidings ? — — Just before he ascended from earth 
to heaven, which was shortly after his death and 

resurrection. Surprising ! says the Pagan. 

If you Christians have known all these things, 
and really believe that we ignorant heathen 
must perish unless we believe in Jesus Christ, 
hoiv could you leave so great a part of the world, 
for so many generations, to go dovi^n to perdi- 
tion, without coming sooner to ttell us of this 
only way in which we can be saved ! — This is 
not idle fancy ; it is matter of distressing fact. 
Is it not time to arise and pluck this dreadful 
weapon from the hand of idolatry abroad, and 
infidelity at home ?'* 

The narrow policy of such objections surely 
was not the principle of action on which the 
Church was extended in the Apostolic age, or 
will be extended in the future ages of the world. 
But there is little occasion to argue a point 
which has been so ably argued by others. To 
a sober mind, the subject lies within a very 
narrow compass. The Churches know that 
hundreds of millions are perishing through igno- 
rance of a Saviour ; — Christ has absolutely com- 
manded his disciples to go and preach the gos- 
pel to every one of them ; and has pledged his 
faithfulness, that if th(sy will go, their exertions 
for the heathen shall be the means of greater 



34 MEMOIR OF 

exertions at home. And has he not redeemed 
the pledge ? How can any reflecting man evade 
the obligation, to be at least the decided and 
zealous friend of Foreign Missions ? 

With fervent gratitude to the God of grace 
let it be acknowledged, that he was pleased to 
smile upon the designs of Mr. Mills and his as- 
sociates, in turning the hearts of the Churches 
toward this favorite object. Men of intel- 
ligence and piety did not long hesitate in the 
adoption of measures which should embody 
the weight and influence of New-England in 
giving form and motion to this mighty ma- 
chinery. Though we would not claim for Mr. 
Mills the honor of maturing the operations of 
the *' American Board of Commissioners for 
Foreign Missions,'' he is justly entitled to the 
praise of originating the plan of that noble in- 
stitution. It was through his instrumentality, 
and the advice and co-operation of the Reve- 
rend Professors in the Theological Seminary at 
Andover, the Rev. Dr. Worcester, of Salem, 
the Secretary and principal Agent of the Board 
after it was constituted, — and if a son may be 
permitted to record it, the Rev. Dr. Spring, of 
Newburyport, that, on the motion of the last 
named gentleman, the subject was first introdu- 
ced to the attention of the General Association 
of Massachusetts, at their Annual Meeting in 
Bradford, in 1810. The following extract from 
their Minutes will present the facts as they then 
occurred. 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 35 

At a Meeting of the General Association of 
Massachusetts Proper, at Bradford, on Wednes- 
day, the 27th of June, 1810. — " Four young 
gentlemen, members of the Divinity College, 
were introduced and presented the following 
Paper : 

"The undersigned, members of the Divinity 
College, respectfully request the attention of 
their Reverend Fathers, convened in the Gene- 
ral Association at Bradford, to the followino^ 
statement and inquiries : 

** They beg leave to state, that their minds 
have been long impressed v^-ith the duty and 
importance of personally attempting a Mission 
to the heathen ; that the impressions on their 
minds have induced a serious, and they trust a 
prayerful consideration of the subject in its va- 
rious attitudes, particularly in relation to the 
probable success and the difficulties attending 
such an attempt; and that after examining all 
the information which they can obtain, they 
consider themselves as devoted to this work for 
Life, whenever God in his providence shall open 
the way. 

** They now offer the following inquiries, on 
which they solicit the opinion and advice of 
this Association. Whether, with their present 
views and feelings, they ought to renounce the 
object of Missions, as visionary or impracticable ; 
if not, whether they ought to direct their at- 
tention to the eastern or the western world — • 



30 MEMOIR OF 

whether they may expect patronage and support 
from a Missionary Society in this country, or 
must commit themselves to the direction of a 
European Society ; and what preparatory meas- 
ures they ought to take, previous to actual en- 
gagement 7 

** The undersigned, feeling their youth and 
inexperience, look up to their Fathers in the 
Church, and respectfully solicit their advice, 
direction, and prayers. 

*' Adonirani Judson^jr. 

" Samuel Nott,jr. 

" Samud J, Mills, 

" Samuel Newell r 

This document was referred to a Special Com- 
mittee, who in their report recognized the im- 
perative obligation and importance of Mission^ 
— expressed their conviction that the gentlemen 
who had thus modestly expressed their views, 
ought not to renounce, but sacredly cherish 
their sacred impressions ; and submitted the 
outlines of a plan, which at that meeting was 
carried into effect, in the appointment of a Board 
of Commissioners for Foreia;n Missions, *' for 
the purpose of devising ways and means, and 
adopting and prosecuting measures for promo- 
ting the spread of the gospel in heathen lands." 

Here was laid the corner-stone of an edifice, 
whiS^ will long be the ornament of the Ameri- 
can Church : broad its foundation — beautiful 
its superstructure — lofty its dome. Such is the 



REr. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 37 

origin of an institution, which, for the extension 
of its-plans, and the wisdom of its direction, and 
the success of its efforts, stands forward a dis- 
tinguished monument of divine favor to the 
American people. 

As soon as the Board had become engaged in 
^* devising ways and means" for carrying for- 
ward this enterprize, we find Mr. Mills, with a 
few others of a kindred spirit, making new and 
more extensive efforts to excite and keep up the 
spirit of Missions. He * trusted that in a short 
time many Missions would be established ; and 
for this end, he knew that a long ^ist of Mission- 
aries must be raised jup ; and he wished to see 
the Seminary to which he now belonged ** or- 
dained and stamped" a Foreign Mission Institu- 
tion. To secure, as far as possible, the accom- 
plishment of these objects, a Society of Inquiry 
respecting Missions was formed in January, 
1811, by 'Messrs. Mills, Nott, Dean, Ide, Rice, 
Robbins, S. Woodruff, and J. Richards. This 
Society, undoubtedly, grew out of the one which 
Mills projected and in which he took so deep 
an interest while at Vvilliams College. Its ob- 
ject was the same ; and, to preserve it " sacred 
to the cause," none were permitted to join it, 
except in *' extraordinary cases," but those who 
** manifested an attachment to the cause of Mis- 
sions " More than tliirty of those who have 
gone into the service of the American Board of 
Commissioners for Foreign Missions, have been 
members of this Society. And it is now, by its 
4 



3S MEMOIR OF 

extensive inquiries, exerting no very incon- 
siderable influence on the great objects of mod- 
ern benevolence. 

While at College, and as early as 1808, Mr; 
Mills frequently suggested that it would, proba- 
bly, be necessary for some one or more of the 
first Missionaries to visit England. The con- 
sideration of this subject was renevi^ed at Ando- 
ver ; and not many months after the formation 
of the Board, and after considerable exertion at 
home, and some inquiry abroad, it was resolved 
that Mr. Judson should repair to England, with 
the view of ascertaining what assistance could be 
afforded^to the Mission by the London Missiona- 
ry Society. " He was welcomed with great cor- 
diality by the Directors of the London Society, 
who engaged to take him and his three brethren 
under their care, and to allow them salaries, 
and employ them on a mission, if the funds of 
the American Board should not be competent 
for their support." Contrary to the expectation 
of the Board, Mr. Judson, during his absence, 
felt himself justified in entering into partial ar- 
rangements at least, to become the Missionary 
of the London Society in the East-Indies. In 
view ofsuch a measure, Mr. Mills, in writing to 
a friend, exclaims, '* What ! is England tosup- 
p)ort her own Missionaries and ours likewise ? 
O shame ! If brother Judson is prepared, I 
would fain press him forward with the arm of 
an Hercules, if 1 had the strength ; but I do not 
like this dependence on another nation, espe- 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 39 

cially when they have already done so much, 
and we nothing. I trust that each of the breth- 
ren will stand at their several posts, determined, 
God helping them, to show themselves men. 
Perhaps the fathers will soon arise, and take 
the business of Missions into their own hands. 
But should they hesitate, let us be prepared to 
GO FORWARD, — trusting to that God for assist- 
ance who hath said, Lo, I am with you always, 
even to the end of the world." 

Not long after this period, however, the 
Board were relieved from their pecuniary em- 
barrassment, by the liberality of a distinguished 
lady, whose name villi ever be endeared in the 
grateful recollections of the writer. Let it not 
be recorded without the warmest emotions of 
admiration, that, in the infancy of this institu- 
tion, no less thun thirty thousand dollars, fi'om 
a single bequest, laid the basis for a permanent 
fund, to send the gospel to the heathen. The 
late Mrs. Mary Norris, widow of the late John 
Norris, of Salem, Massachusetts, one of the 
founders of the Andover Seminar}-, was raised 
up, by a gracious Providence, to become the de- 
voted patron of Foreign Missions, and by her 
memorable munificence, to '* spread the throb 
of joy through the heathen world." 

I'he first efforts of this institution resulted in 
the embarkation of the Rev. Messrs. Hall, Nott, 
Rice, Judson, and Newell, for Calcutta, in the 
month of February, 1812. These were followed 
by the Rev. Messrs. Bardweil, Meigs, Poor, 



40 



MEMOIR, OF 



Richards, and Warren, who sailed for Ceylon 
in October, 1815; these, by the Rev. Messrs. 
Graves and Nichols, who embarked for Bombay 
ill October, 1817 ; and these by the Rev. 
Messrs. Winslow, Spaulding, and Woodward, to- 
gether with Dr. John Scudder, a physician of 
good professional reputation and practice, who 
embarked for Ceylon on the 8th of June, 1819. 
Besides these, the Board have Missions among 
the Cherokees, commenced in 1817 ; among 
the Chickasaws, commenced by the Missionary 
Society of the Synod of South Carolina and 
Georgia, and transferred to the Board in 1827 ; 
among the Choctaws, commenced in 1818 ; 
among the Osages, commenced m 1820 ; the 
Cherokees of the Arkansas; and the Indians in 
Ohio ; at Mackinaw, commenced in 1823 ; at 
Green Bay, commenced in 1828 ; and also 
among the Senecas and Tuscaroras in the State 
of New-York. In addition to these exertions, 
in 1819 they set on foot a heavy Mission to the 
Sandwich Islands. The first outfit for this 
Mission consisted of nineteen natives of Ameri- 
ca, seven gentlemen, with their wives, and five 
children ; and four natives of the Sandwich 
Islands: these all embarked at Boston, oii the 
23d of October. On the third of the next 
month, the Rev. Messrs. Parsons and Fisk, em- 
barked for Western Asia. The receipts of the 
Board for the year 1819, are stated to have been 
thirty-seven thousand dollars, and their expendi- 
tures to have surpassed forty thousand ; for the 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 41 

year 1828, their receipts were, $102,009 64, 
and their expenditures during the same period 
amounted to $107,676 25. The following 
summary is from their nineteenth annual Report. 
for the year 1828: — ^* There are now under the 
care of the Board forty-six Missionary stations, 
including one that is temporarily vacant. Con- 
nected with these stations there are forty-three 
ordained Missionaries, four licensed preachers, 
four catechists, and one hundred and seventy- 
two other Missionary assistants, male and fe- 
male ; making the whole number of Missionary 
laborers from this country, two hundred and 
twenty-three. There are, also, thirty-six native 
assistants, who are immediately connected with 
the Mission families ; and as preachers, cate- 
chists, superintendents of schools, and distribu- 
tors of tracts, are of great service in extending 
knowledge and Christianity. Besides these, 
there are about six hundred native teachers of 
free schools, connected principally with the 
Missions at Bombay, Ceylon, and the Sandwich 
Islands ; most of whom were themselves first 
instructed, and all of whom are superintended 
in their labors, by the Missionaries. Five hun- 
dred and twenty-three exclusive of the Mission 
families, are members of the churches at the 
several stations. There are thirty-tv/o thou- 
sand nine hundred and nineteen pupils in the 
Mission schools ; of whom about eight hundred 
and seventy are in the boarding schools, at the 
stations. The Board have seven printing 
4^^ 



42 MEMOIR OF 

presses connected with the fliiferent Missions, 
which are kept in constant operation, and have 
printed, or are in readiness for printing, in nine 
different languages. The whole number of cop- 
i'es of works printed at these presses, principally 
elenientarv school books, translations from the 
scriptures, and religious tracts, must now ex- 
ceed five hundred thousand, and the number of 
pages twenty millions ; most of which have been 
put in circulation. Tiius languages, which 
were never before written, have been reduced 
to system and printed , and are now made the 
vehicles of diftlising knowledge widely ; and 
others, in which were no bocks, except such as 
were filled with erroneous and polluting senti- 
ments, are now made the channels of conveying 
useful knowledge and the word of God to the 
millions who speak them. Thousands of minds, 
which were wasting in ignorance and inaction, 
are becoming enlightened and fitted to perform 
the responsible duties of life. Others, which 
were the abodes of base and malignant passions, 
are becoming full of righteousness, and peace, 
and joy in the Holy Ghost. The gospel is 
preached to hundreds of thousands sitting in 
the shadow of death. The Spirit descends, as 
upon our own churches, and the heathen are 
becomincr new creatures in Christ. 

Here let us pause. Who will not admire the 
condescension of the adorable Head of the 
Church, in permitting so much to be accom- 
plished by the designs of a single individual ! 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 43 

Could Mr. Mills have lived to witness the rapid 
advancement of this glorious design ; could he 
have seen the whole army of the redeemed in 
Nevv^ England in motion ; could he have seen 
ten thousand hearts leaping in joyful eagerness, 
and ten thousand hands opened in liberal chari- 
ties toward this hallowed cause ; could he have 
seen the daily accession of talent and youthful 
vigour, as they have been consecrated to the 
work ; could he have beheld so many Mission- 
ary stations blessing the dark regions of Asia, 
and have been told of the conversions amid the 
desolations and cruelties of our oHvn wilderness ; 
could he have been permitted to breathe his bles- 
sing into the breeze that wafts the glad tidings of 
great joy to the native isles of his own dear Oboo- 
kiah ; could he, lastly, have beheld the '' holy 
city Jerusalem," the scene of a mission from the 
American church, — surely he had felt he had not 
lived in vain. Some of these glorious events he 
was permitted to witness ; and with what weeping 
modesty he occasionally adverted to them, a few 
will lonof remember. Never has he been more 
endeared, than when on one or two occasions 
he has been seen to be drowned in tears, and 
abased with self-confusion, in attempting to give 
utterance to his own views of what God had 
condescended to accomplish through the instru- 
mentalities of one so worthless as he. 



44 MEMOIR OF 



CHAPTER IV. 

His acquaintance with ObooJciah, and the con- 
sequent establishment of the Foreign 3Iission 
School. 

We have already mentioned the name of 
Ohookiah. Mr. Mills's acquaintance with this 
youth forms an important era in his life, and in 
the history of Missions in the western world. 
Ohookiah was a native of Hawaii, the largest of 
the Sandwich Islands. He was born about the 
year 1792. His parents ranked with the com- 
mon people ; but his mother was distantly relat- 
ed to the family of the King. During his youth, 
there was an unhappy contest in the island, as 
to the right of succession. After a severe and 
frightful carnage, the party to which the father 
of Obookiah attached himself was overpowered. 
The conquerors, having driven their antagonists 
from the field, next turned their rage upon the 
villages and families of the vanquished. On 
the alarm of their approach, the father took his 
wife and two children, and fled to the moun- 
tains, where he concealed himself with his fami- 
ly for several days in a cave. Venturing at 
length to leave their retreat, they were surprised 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 45 

by a party of the enemy, while in the act of 
quenching their thirst at a neighboring spring. 
The father fled. To decoy him from his re- 
treat, the enemy seized his wife and children 
and put them to the torture. The artifice suc- 
ceeded. Unable to bear the piercing cries of 
his family, the father returned, and with his wife 
w^as cut in pieces. An infant brother, Obookiah 
endeavored to save from the fate of his pa- 
rents, by taking him upon his back and making 
his escape; but he was pursued, and his little 
brother pierced through with a spear, while 
Obookiah, by some mysterious [Providence, was 
saved alive. Being now a prisoner in the hands 
of the enemy, he was taken home to the house 
of the very man who murdered his parents. 
Here he resided till he was found by an uncle, 
who was High Priest of the island, and who re- 
ceived him into his family and treated him as a 
child. In narrating his own history, Obookiah 
says, ** At the death of my parents I wa§ with 
them ; 1 saw them killed with a bayonet ; and 
with them my little brother, not more than two 
or three months old ; so that I was left alone 
without father or mother in this wilderness 
world. Poor boy ! thought 1 within myself, after 
they were gone, are there any father or mother 
of mine at home, that I may go and find them 
at home ? No : poor boy am I. And while I 
was at play with other children, after we had 
made an end of playing, they returned to their 
parents, but I was returned into tears ; for I 



46 MEMOIR OP 

have no home, neither father nor mother. I 
thought of nothing more, but want of father or 
mother, and to cry day and night." While 
Obookiah was with his uncle, he began to think 
of leaving his native island for some other part 
of the globe. About this time, a ship belonging 
to New-Haven, touched at the island on her 
return voyage from the North- West Coast — in 
which he made an arrangement to take passage 
for America, and in the year 1809 was brought 
to New-Haven. ** Here he began early to ex- 
press a strong wish to be instructed, and to 
obtain a Christian education. He visited the 
house of God on the Sabbath, and lingered 
about the College, trying to catch something to 
gratify the thirst of his mind for knowledge ; 
and when he found that he could understand 
little or nothinor, and that the treasures of know- 
ledge which were open to others, were locked 
up from him, he sat down and wept on the 
threshold of the Colleo^e buildinops." Here he 
was found by the Rev. Edwin W. Dwight, then 
a resident graduate at the College, and for the 
first year the Principal of the Foreign Mission 
School, who spared no effort in the instruction 
of his new pupil. By a pleasing coincidence of 
circumstances, Mr. Mills, on his arrival at New- 
Haven, became the companion of Mr. Dwight, 
and was deeply interested in this heathen boy. 
He soon conceived the plan of educating him as 
a Missionary to his native islands ; and took 
him in the course of the winter to his father's, 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 47 

at Torringford, and afterwards to Andover, pa- 
tiently instructing him in the knowledge of what 
is useful in this life, and momentous to the life 
to come. We are happy in being able to sub- 
mit Mr. Mills's own narrative of this providence, 
contained in a letter to the Rev. Gordon Hall, 
then a student in the Theological Seminary at 
Andover, and late a Missionary in the island of 
Bombay. Though it relates to some other 
events besides his first acquaintance with Oboo- 
kiah, we shall transcribe it chiefly entire. 

" NeiV'Haveyi, December 20, 1809. 
*' Very dear brother, 

** I received your kind letter, and feel much 
indebted to you„ I have been in this place 
about two months. When I came, I found my 
worthy friend E. Dwight here : I roomed with 
him about two weeks, and then removed my 
quarters to the Rev. Mr. Stuart's, with whom I 
have lived to the present time. As every day 
is not so singularly spent by me as this has been, 
I will notice something not a little extraor- 
dinary. 

** To make my narrative understood, you 
must go back with me to my first arrival in this 
place. Mr. Dwight, I then found, was instruct- 
ing a native Hawaiian boy. Two natives of 
this island arrived here five or six months ago, 
and this was one of them. As I w^as in the 
room with Mr. Dwight, I heard the youth recite 
occasionally, and soon became considerably 



48 MEMOIR OF 

attached to him. His manners are simiple : he 
does not appear to be vicious in any respect, 
and he has a great thirst for knowledge. In 
his simple manner of expressing himself, he 
says, Tlie 'people in Hawaii very had — tliey 
pray to gods made of wood. Poor Indians don^t 

knoio nothing. —He says, Me ivant to learn to 

read this Bible, and go back then, and tell them 
to pray to God up in heaven. I called into 
Dwio^ht's room last evening, and had not been 
long there, before Henry, (for this is his English 
name,) came into the room with a very gloomy 
countenance. Says he, 3Ie feel very had. I 
asked him why he felt l)ad ? — Me got noplace 
to live. I then asked him if he was not going 

to live with ? He said. No : he say, me 

may go away — he no more want w.e. I told him 
he need not be concerned ; I would find a place 

for him. He said. Bliss — say she take 

away my new clothes. I told him he need not 
be afraid of that, for I had clothes enough for 
both of us. He did not appear to know what 
course to take. I told him he might go home 
with me, and live at my fatHer's, and have what- 
ever he wanted. He then came with me to my 
room. I heard him read his lesson, and attempt- 
ed to instruct him in some of the first principles 
of Christianity, of which he Was almost entirely 
ignorant. . He then retired for the night. 

" I now come to the transactions of to-day. 
As it vv^as eleven o'clock when I began to write 
this letter, I will be as brief as I can, and re- 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 49 

late things so that you may understand me. 
This morning I repaired to Mr. Dwight's room. 
He felt interested in behalf of Obookiah, and 
thought he had best endeavor to find a place for 
him, where he could work a part of the time, 
and pay for his board, and recite as he had done. 
I told him I did not think he had best stay in 
town, as he would be exposed to bad company, 
and most likely be treated as a slave, rather than 
as a friend and brother. I told him fur|lier, 
that as my father was one of the Missionary 
Trustees, he would no doubt obtain for him a 
support, if it was thought best to educate him, 
which is my intention to attempt so far as that 
he may be able to instruct his countrymen, and, 
by God's blessing, convert them to Christianity. 
To this he could hardly object. He had been 
talking with the President of the College, and I 
told him I would see him on the subject. In 
the afternoon I called upon him, and related to 
him a part of my plan, which was that Obookiah 
should go with me to my father's, and live with 
him this winter, and be instructed in the first 
principles of reading and writing, as well as of 
Christianity, where he would be abundantly 
furnished with the means of acquiring both. 
Some other arguments I used, which I cannot 
now relate. The President came fully into the 
opinion that this was the most eligible course 
which could be pursued, if Obookiah was wil- 
ling to go. Obookiah is his Indian name, and 
he is seventeen years old. I told him he would 



50 MEMOIR OF 

be glad to go ; he was without a home — without 
a place to eat or sleep. The poor and almost 
friendless Hawaiian would sit down disconso- 
late, and the honest tears would flow freely 
down his sun-burnt face ; but since this plan 
has been fixed upon, he has appeared cheerful, 
and feels (juite at ease. I propose to leave town 
in two weeks, with this native of the South to 
accompany me to Torringford^ where I intend 
to place him under the care of those whose be- 
nevolence is without a bond to check, or a limit 
to confine it. Here I intend he shall stay un- 
til next spring, if he is contented. Thus you 
see, he is like to be firmly fixed by my side. 

^' What does this mean ? Brother Hall, do 
you understand it 1 Shall he be sent back un- 
supported, to attempt to reclaim his country- 
men ? Shall we not rather consider these 
southern islands a proper place for the establish- 
ment of a Mission ? Not that 1 would give up 
the heathen tribes of the west. I trust we shall 
be able to establish more than one Mission in a 
short time, at least in a few years ; and that 
God will enable us to extend our views and labors 
further than we have before contemplated. We 
ought not to look merely to the heathen on our 
own continent, but to direct our attention where 
we may, to human appearance, do the most 
good, and where the difficulties are the least. 
We are to look to the climate — established pre- 
judices — the acquisition of language — the means 
of subsistence, &c. &c. Ail these things, I 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 51 

apprehend, are to be considered. The field is 
almost boundless, in every part of which there 
ought to be Missionaries. In the language of 
an animated writer, but I must say, he is of 
another country^ — () that we could enter at a 
thousand gates — that every limb were a tongue, 
and every tongue a trumpet, to spread the gos- 
pel sound ! The men of Macedonia cry, Come 
over and help us. This voice is heard from the 
north, and from the south, and from the east, 
and from the west. O that we miojht glow with 
desire to preach the gospel to tlie heathen, that 
is altogether irresistible ! The spirit of burning 
hath gone forth. The camp is in motion. The 
Levites, we trust, are about to bear the vessels, 
and the great command is. Go forward. Let 
us, my dear brother, rely with the most implicit 
confidence on those great, eternal, precious 
promises contained in the word of God : And 
Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, 
there is no man that hath left house, or breth- 
ren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or 
children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel's, 
but he shall receive an hundred fold now in this 
time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and 
mothers, and children, and lands, ivith persecu- 
tions ; and in the world to come, eternal life. 
Be strong, therefore, and let not your hands be 
weak, for your work shall be rewarded. Gird 
thy sword upon thy thigh, O most Mighty, with 
thy glory and thy majesty ; and in thy majesty 
ride prosperously, because of truth, and meek- 



52 MEMOIR OF 

ness, and righteousness ; and thy right hand 
shall teach thee terrible things. Let us exclaim 
with the poet, 

'•' Come lli^n, and. added to th}' man}' crownS; 
Receive yet one, the crown of all the earthy 
Thou who alone art wortliy ! It was thine 
By ancient covenant, e'er nature's birth 5 
And thou hast made it thine by purchase sincC; 
And overpaid its value with ihy blood.'' 

** Now, brother Hall, for a review of your let- 
ter. You complain that the influences of the 
Holy Spirit are in a great measure withdrawn 
from you. Brother Hall, do you expect to be 
always on Pisgah's top ? If you do, farewell ; 
for you may rest assured, that I shall be often 
and for a long time in the valley, and perhaps 
you would need the telescope of Herschel to 
discover me. I know that we are bound to live 
a life of faith on the Son of God, and that at 
every departure from our diity, we incur immense 
guilt. Were it not that (iod is seated on a 
throne of mercy, I should not dare raise my 
presumptuous eyes towards heaven ; but, con- 
founded and aghast, must call upon the rocks 
and mountains to fall upon me. But his arm is 
not shortened, that it cannot save ; nor his ear 
heavy, that it cannot hear. Past a doubt, our 
iniquities have separated between him and us. 
Let us then be prayerful, humble, and devout, 
knowing that in due time we shall reap, if we 



REV. SAMUEL J, MILLS. 53 

faint not. As to Missions, you know some will 
be greatly animated with the subject at first 
view, and then begin to flag and droop. These 
are not the men we want, and therefore must 
carefully guard against placing confidence in 
them. I wish we were able to break forth as to 
numbers, like the Irish rebellion, thirty thousand 
strong. Not a man could be spared. The 
whole number would be wanted. But much as 
I wish for an increase, 1 would, as far as in my 
power, prevent those from engaging who had 
not thought much on the subject, and were not 
prepared to endure all things for the elect's 
sake. Without the aids of divine grace, we 
shall all fail of attaining this glorious high call- 
ino[. Even Mark once fled from the work of 
the apostolic Mission ; but God blessed the 
efforts of Paul and Barnabas, and they were the 
means of recovering him to a sense of his duly, 
and he soon obtained a good report among the 
apostles. A confidence in human strength will 
utterly defeat us. *'^**'^*** 

** Ever yours, 

*^S. J. MILLS. 
'' Mr. Gordon Hall." 

While Obookiah was at New-Haven, Torring- 
ford, and Andover, there was no small degree of 
interest excited among the people of God, who 
were acquainted with his history. In ardent 
anticipation of his conversion, and in the full 
confidence that '* a new era was about to com- 



K 



4 MEMOIR OF 



mence in relation to the Sandwich Islands, 
many prayers were offered up for this poor stran- 
ger. While at Andover, as we have the best 
reason to believe, he became the subject of 
renovating grace. He had been frequently 
serious, and had relapsed into stupidity ; and 
particularly during a few months he spent at an 
academy in the vicinity of Andover, in pursuing 
the elementary branches of education. On his 
return, an important change took place in his 
feelings, which it will be proper to give in his 
own words : — ** In the spring season of the year 
181 1, I hired myself out for a month or two, on 
account of my health, with Mr. F., who lived 
about five miles from the college. Mr. F. one 
day sent me into the woods, not far from the 
house, to work. I took an axe, and went and 
worked there till tovv^ard noon. But here — O! 
I come to myself again 1 many thoughts come 
into my mind that I was in a dangerous situa- 
tion. I thought that if I should then die, I must 
certainly be cast off forever. While I was 
working, it appeared as it was a voice, saying, 
Cut it doum.^ lohy ciimheretli it the ground ? I 
worked no longer, but dropped my axe and walk- , 
ed a few steps from the place ; for the people 
in the house would soon send a lad after me, 
for it was noon. I Ml upon my knees, and 
looked up to the Almighty Jehovah for help. I 
was not but an undone and hell-deservina sin- 
ner. I felt that it would be just that God*should 
cast me off whithersoever he would ; that he 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 55 

should do with my poor soul as it seemed to him 
fit. I spent some time here, until I heard a boy 
calling for me — and 1 went. The people in 
the house asked of my sadness^ — to which I gave 
but little answer. In the night, my sleep was 
taken away from me. I kept awake almost the 
whole night. Many of my feehngs and thoughts 
in past time, came into remembrance — and how L 
treated the mercy of God while I was at Bradford 
academy. The next morning I rose up before 
the rest, and went to a place where I was alone 
by myself. Here I went both ^morning, night, 
and noon. At this little place, I find some com- 
fort ; and when I go there, I enjoy myself better 
all the day." 

Few persons have given greater evidence of 
a work of grace on the heart than this dear hea- 
then youth. ** By this early and joyful fruit of 
their labors, those who had already undertaken 
his instruction, felt themselves committed and 
bound to proceed ; and others were induced to 
take a part in the labor of love, of fitting him to 
be a messenger of salvation to his countrymen. 
Whilst these things were taking place in respect 
to Obookiah, the discovery was made that others 
of his countrymen w^ere wandering in our land, 
in circumstances which demanded the attention 
of the friends of Zion. Some of them were 
taken up, and put in a course of instruction." 
In the mean time, ^' other youth from the Sand- 
wich Islands, and from other parts of the hea- 
tlien world, were soon cast in their way, and 



56 MEMOIR OF 

in such numbers, as to call for more systematic 
and extended measures." 

Such was the orio[in of the Foreiorn Mission 
School, which was located in Corn wall, in the 
State of Connecticut. This institution was 
received under the care of the American Board 
of Commissioners for Foreig-n Missions, in the 
autumn of 1816, and holds an interesting 
place in the history of their operations. In 
1819 this institution contained thirty two pupils ; 
and these of different nations, languages, and 
tongues, under heaven — some from the Sand- 
wich Islands, some from the Society Islands, 
some from Asia, together with seventeen abori- 
ginal Americans, and six young persons from 
our own country ; all enjoying the fostering 
care of the churches, forming an important 
object of their prayers, and destined, we trust, 
/* to shine as lights" in the *^ dark places of the 
earth." 

The Board continued to bestow upon the 
school its patronage and watchful care until 
1826, when a Committee was appointed *^ to 
examine into all its concerns, and report their 
opinion respecting the course which Providence 
shall seem to render judicious and necessary. 
The result was, '^ that the continuance of the 
school is not expedient." '^ The design of giv- 
ing a good education to young men of heathen 
birth and parentage, in order that they may aid 
in evangelizing their countrymen, can now be 
executed more favorably at several Missionary 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 57 

Stations, than at any place in a Christian coun- 
try." 

Although the facts and reasons developed in 
the course of their investigations left no doubt 
on the minds of the Committee, as to the proper 
course to be pursued, '* yet," ihey say, " they do 
not furnish any occasion to regret the establish- 
ment of the school, and the continuance of it to 
the present time. This seminary was an inter- 
mediate cause of the Mission to the Sandwich 
Islands ; and had it been the cause of no other 
good, this would be matter of joy and exultation 
through all future ages. But it has done good 
in many other ways. It was at one period a 
strong proof to the more intelligent Cherokees 
and Choctaws, of the benevolent feeling enter- 
tained by the whites toward the Indians. It 
had a powerful tendency to excite kind feelings 
toward the heathen generally, in the minds of 
many among ourselves. It gave opportunity for 
the display of native talent, in a high degree 
interesting to all friends of human improvement. 
It attracted the attention of many to Missionary 
exertions, who would otherwise have remained 
ignorant of them. And its indirect influence 
has been salutary in various respects." God 
has been pleased, in a remarkable manner, to 
bless this semJnary with the influences of his 
Holy Spirit. OF the heathen youth who have 
enjoyed its privileges, nearly if not quite half 
became hopefully pious at Cornwall. 

Mr. Mills lived to see this school organized ; 



k 



58 MEMOIR OF 

and, until the last, continued to take a deep 
interest in its prosperity, and doubtless to offer 
up fervent prayers for its success. It has been 
intimated by some who were acquainted with 
his plans, that had he been permitted to live, it 
was his purpose to have accompanied Obookiah 
on his Mission, and to have lived and died in 
Hawaii. But *' the Lord reigneth, let the 
earth rejoice, let the multitude of isles be 
glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round 
about him ; righteousness and judgment are the 
habitation of his throne." Obookiah died, in 
the 26th year of his age, on the 17th of Februa- 
ry^ 1818, while a member of the Foreign Mis- 
sion School, greatly beloved by all who knew 
him, and a splendid instance of the power of 
grace upon the heart of a heathen. 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 59 



CHAPTER V. 

His Missionary Tours into the western and 
southern sections of the United States, 

It is yet to be shown, that abetting the cause 
of God abroad, diminishes our zeal for the cause 
at home. It is a maxim founded on actual expe- 
rience, that the more you do for the heathen, 
the more will be done at your own doors. 
** When once warmed by the animating spirit 
of Missions, good men will naturally think of 
the destitute amonof themselves. When once 
their selfish stupor is broken, every object with- 
in their reach will feel the benign effect." No 
where are the men to be found who have done 
half so much at home, as those who have ac- 
complished the most abroad. Never has Britain 
achieved anything like so much for the desti- 
tute within her own geographical limits, and 
especially for her Irish neighbors, as since she 
began to weep over the ignorance, and supersti- 
tion, and death of ilindostan, China, and Afri- 
ca. And if we survey the exertions of the 
American church, where do we find the most 



60 BIEMOIR OF 

extended, the most judicious, the most perse- 
vering, and the most hopeful measures in behalf 
of the Indians on our own continent, if not 
among those who have shown the deepest zeal 
for foreign Missions ? 

It affords unfeigned pleasure to be enabled to 
record, that the very individual whom we have 
seen so indefatigably employed in projecting 
plans for evangelizing the heathen in distant 
lands, is the individual to whom all are disposed 
to yield the palm for his exertions in favor of 
the destitute on our w^estern frontier. 

Mr. Mills completed his theological studies at 
Andover in the autumn of 1812, and about the 
same time began to make preparations for a Mis- 
sionary tour through the western and southern 
sections of the United States. Very little was 
known of the reality and extent of the moral 
desolation of this rising portion of our country, 
until the "nakedness of the land" was actually 
surveyed, and the heart-rending report reached 
the ears of the churches through the instrumen- 
tality of this indefatigable Missionary. Such 
was his impression of the importance of this 
service, that he performed two separate tours 
through this part of our country ; the first in 
the years 1812 and 1813 ; and the last in the 
years 1814 and 1815. It is not known that the 
first of these expeditions originated with himself 
more than with his worthy companion, the Rev. 
John F. Schermerhorn, of the Dutch Reformed 
Church. The last, in w^hich he was accompa- 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 61 

nied by a man of fervent zeal in the Missionary 
cause, the Rev. Daniel Smith, was of his own 
projection. Though much commendation be- 
longs to Mr. Smith, for his patient and laborious 
exertion in accomplishing the objects of this 
Mission, he is pleased to say, '^ The plan of the 
tour, on which I was Mr. Mills's companion, was 
projected wholly by himself; and if any thing 
of importance was accojiiplished by it, the praise, 
under God, is due to him." 

We ought not to pass over this part of Mr. 
Mills's life, without presenting ^ brief view of 
these enterprizes of benevolence. The first 
tour was performed under the combined direc- 
tion and patronage of the Connecticut and Mas- 
sachusetts Missionary Societies. The principal 
objects of this Mission were to preach the gospel 
to the destitute — to explore the country, and 
learn its moral and religious state — and to pro- 
mote the establishment of Bible Societies, and 
of other religious and charitable institutions. 
The report of this Mission, which has been 
before the public, presents a mass of results of 
the most interesting kind, and giving a new 
and important view of that part of the United 
States which lies west of the Alleghany Moun- 
tains ; — but the means by which these results 
were secured — the incessant toil — the deep seli"*- 
denial — the painful exposures and imminent 
hazard, they modestly conceal. It was the 
plan of these gentlemen to take different 
routes through New York and Pennsylvania ; 
6 



62 MEMOIR OF 

to form a junction at Marietta in Ohio; to 
pass through Kentucky and Tennessee, down 
to New-Orleans ; thence across throug-h Missis- 
sippi ; and on their return, take a course 
through the western parts of Georgia, Carolinas, 
and Virginia. Five or six hundred miles of this 
route was a mere wilderness. 

In perusing the private journal kept by Mr. 
Mills during this tour, I have been led to ad- 
mire how, in every sentence, his mind was 
exclusively intent upon the objects of his Mis- 
sion. On the first page the following subjects of 
inquiry are entered, as those which he intend- 
ed to keep steadily in view : — 

' '^ Are the people supplied viath Bibles and 
Tracts? 

How many Bibles are wanted in a county or 
a town ? 

Have supplies of Bibles and Tracts been 
received in part ? 

From what Societies may supplies be ex- 
pected ? 

The number of regular Clergy in each county. 

The number of towns able and willing to 
support Ministers. 

Ascertain, as far as maybe, the most hope- 
ful fields for Missionary labor. 

Whence did the people originate ? 

An institution for the benefit of the Africans." 

Agreeably to their plan, Messrs. Mills and 
Schermerhorn met at Marietta about the last of 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 63 

October ; and proceeded on immediately to Cin- 
cinnati. *' From thence," says Mr. Mills, '* Mr. 
Schermerhorn and myself went down the river 
Ohio to Laurenceburgh, in the Indiana Terri- 
tory. Left that place the 24th of November, 
crossed the Ohio into Kentucky, and came down 
the river about 50 miles ; then again crossed 
over into Indiana, and came down some miles 
on that side of the river ; then crossed back into 
Kentucky, and continued our course within 30 
mile- of the falls of the Ohio, preaching occa- 
sionally. We found the inhabitants in a very 
destitute state; very ignorant of the doctrines of 
the gospel ; and, in many instances, without 
Bibles, or any other religious books. 

*' Leaving the river, we proceeded on our way 
through Frankfort, an easterly course to Lex- 
ington, where we arrived December 5th. 

** We left Lexington the 14th of December, 
and proceeded on our way to Nashville, in Ten- 
nessee, where we arrived the 28th. On the 
29th, rode to Franklin, 20 miles from Nashville, 
and put up with Mr. Blackburn. During our 
stay in this part of Tennessee, w^e consulted 
with a number of pious people, with regard to 
the expediency of forming a Bible Society. 
They decidedly favored the object. Mr. Black- 
burn thought there would not be time to collect 
the people, and form a Constitution during our 
stay. He engaged that he would exert himself 
in favor of the object, as did others, men of 
piety and influence. 



64 MEMOIR OF 

'' We consulted with Mr. Blackburn on the 
expediency of pursuing our course down the 
river to New Orleans. He advised us to go, 
and assisted in making the necessary prepara- 
tions. It was thought best for us to descend 
the river. General Jackson was expecting to 
go in a few days, with about 1500 volunteers to 
Natchez. Mr. Blackburn introduced us to the 
General, who, having become acquainted with 
our design, invited us to take passage on board 
his boat. We accepted the invitation ; and 
after providing some necessary stores for the 
voyage, and making sale of our horses, we em- 
barked the 10th of January, 1813. We came 
to the mouth of the Ohio the 27th, where we 
lay by three days, on account of the ice. On 
the 31st we passed New Madrid; and the 16th 
of February arrived at Natchez. 

'' We left Natchez the 12th of March, and 
went on board a flat-bottomed boat, where our 
accommodations were but indifferent. The 
weather was generally pleasant, and we arrived 
at New Orleans the iOth. The distance is 300 
miles. For 100 miles above New Orleans, the 
banks of the river are cleared, and in descend- 
ing the river you pass many very elegant planta- 
tions. The whole of this distance the banks 
appear like one continued village. The greater 
part of the inhabitants are French Catholics, 
ignorant of almost every thing except what re- 
lates to the increase of their property ; destitute 
of schools, Bibles, and religious instruction. In 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS, 65 

attempting to iearn the religious state of these 
people, we were frequently told, that they had 
no Bibles, and that the priests did not allow of 
their distribution among them. An American, 
who had resided two or three years at a place, 
which has the appearance of being a flourishing 
settlement, and which has a Catholic church, 
informed me that he had not seen a Bible durhjg 
his stay at the settlement. He added, that he 
had heard that a woman from the State of New 
York had lately brought one into the place. 

** Soon after our arrival, w^ intro<^uced the 
subject of a Bible Society. It directly met the 
wishes of the religious people with whom we 
had become acquainted. As we had letters of 
introduction to Governor Clairborne, we called 
upon him in company with a friend. The ob- 
ject of our coming to the place was stated to 
him, and he approved of it. A proposal for a 
meeting wa^ readily signed by him, and by 12 
of the members of the Legislature, who were 
then in session. About 20 more principnliy 
merchants belonging to the city, added their 
names to the list. At the time appointed for 
establishing a Society, the greater part of those 
who subscribed to the proposal met. Previous 
to the meeting, a constitution had been formed ; 
and was presented for their approbation, should 
it meet the wishes of those present. The con- 
stitution was read and considered, article by 
article, and adopted. All present appeared 
much gratified with the opening prospect. 
6^ 



66 



MEMOIR OP 



*' We found that, in order to have the Bible 
circulate freely, especially among the Catholics, 
the consent of those high in office must be ob- 
tained. We were frequently told, that the 
Catholic priests would by no means favor the 
object. We were referred to Father Antonio, 
as he is called, who has greater influence with 
those of his order than even the Bishop, who 
has lately arrived from Baltimore. If the con- 
sent of the former could be obtained, it was 
allovv'ed by those with whom we conversed, that 
much mi^ht be done towards distributincr the 
scriptures among the French Catholics. We 
took a convenient opportunity to call upon the 

reverend father. The subiect Vv^as mentioned 

it 

to him. He said he should be pleased to have 
the Bible circulate amonor those of his order: 
and that he would approve of the translation dis- 
tributed by the JBritish and Foreign Bible So- 
ciety. In addition to this, he said he would aid 
in the circulation of the scriptures, should an 
opportunity present. We inquired of him, 
whether the priests in the different parishes 
would likewise favor the good work ? At this 
inquiry he seemed surprised, and answered, 
** How can you doubt it? It is for their inte- 
rest to circulate the scriptures.'^ Upon this 
point*, our sentiments were hardly in unison. 
However, we felt no disposition to contradict 
him. We have since called upon the Bishop. 
He also gave his consent, and said he would 
contribute in favor of the infant institution. 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 67 

This disposition in the Catholic priests to favor 
the circulation of the scriptures has very much 
surprised all with whom we have conversed on 
the subject in the city. The priests acknow- 
ledged the nakedness of the land. Father An- 
tonio gave it as his opinion, that we should very 
rarely find a Bible in any of the French or 
Spanish Catholic families, in any of the parishes. 
And the Bishop remarked, that he did not be- 
lieve there were 10 Bibles in the possession of 
all the Catholic families in the State ; and these 
families constitute three-fourths of the popula- 
tion of the State, people of color excepted, as is 
believed by men of information. When we 
came to this place, we found a number of French 
Bibles and Testaments had been sent here for 
distribution gratis : and had been on hand soiiie 
time. They are now all disposed of, and re- 
peated inquiries are made for those books by 
the Catholics." 

Returning, they left New-Orleans on the 6th 
of April, and on the 6tii of May arrived at Nash- 
ville. Some of the hardships sustained on this 
Mission may be conjectured from a few passages 
of the journal, on the route from New Orleans 
to Georgia, a country then almost untrodden, 
except by the natives of the wilderness. 

'' Fridmj, April 30. Left Mr. C 's who 

is a half-breed, has a very handsome plantation 
and a good house. We proceeded about fifteen 
miles^ and came to a large creek, which could 



6S MEMOIR OF 

not be passed without swimming our horses. 
We concluded to go up the creek until we 
could find a log to cross on ourselves, and then 
carry our baggage across, and then swim our 
horses. We proceeded some distance up the 
creek, four or five miles. Havmg found a place, 
we got our baggage over, and attempted to swim 
the horses. The first horse Vv'e drove in swam 
across, and not finding a good place to ascend 
the opposite bank, returned, floating a little 
down the stream. The bank was too steep and 
miry for him to ascend on the side he started 
from ; and after having made a number of use- 
less eiiorts to ascend, he appeared very weary, 
and we feared would fail. We were so fortu- 
nate as to get near enough to put the bridle on 
him, and at length succeeded in bringing him 
ashore. By tying together our bridles, halters, 
6lc. we made them of sufficient length to reach 
across the creek, the one on the opposite side 
assisting the horses in ascending the bank. It 
was sunset when we had the horses safely across 
the river. It had been raining during the after- 
noon, and we were very wet. We encamped on 
a high ridge of ground near the creek, and were 
so fortunate as to succeed in making a fire in a 
short time. We here began to dry our clothes, 
but were very much fatigued. Our way, after 
we left our trace where we crossed the creek, 
was very bad, without any path at all. Some of 
the time we were ascending and descending 
ledges almost perpendicular. A part of the 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 69 

time we were passing through swamps, very 
miry ; and some of the time we had to contend 
with cane-brakes, which could not be penetrated 
but by cutting our way with our hatchet. Jn 
the evening the rain abated, and we had a pret- 
ty comfortable night. 

*' May 1. To-day we crossed another creek, 
and ate the last of our bread. 

** Monday, May 3. It rained very hard. 
Our tent-cloth so wet, that it afforded us a poor 
shelter from the storm. Our provisions very 
low, and we allow ourselves td eat but half a 
meal. In the evening heard an Indian whoop, 
which made us believe we were near the habi- 
tations of some of these rude sons of nature. 
Dried our blankets, and rested tolerably well." 

As Mr. Mills was not to be moved from his 
course by difficulties and discouragements ; so 
he was not, by bright prospects and pressing 
invitations. In many places which he visited, 
he '^ beheld the germs of future cities." And 
of villages, that then ** contained nothing but 
wretched cabins," he could say, they *' will soon 
become the dwelling-place of thousands; and 
those thousands may all be favorably affected 
by the early establishment of religious institu- 
tions." In these places he had many dear 
friends, and had visited many infant churches. 
Under such circumstances, we are not surprised 
that he should receive pressing invitations to 
settle in that part of our country. In answer 



70 MEMOIR OF 

to a communication of this sort, he writes, 
*' But, brother W., none of these things move 
me. Still, if I know my own heart, I think, 
whenever it shall appear the will of God, that I 
should take up my residence in New Connecti- 
cut, I shall wish to join in your labors. Go on, 
brother W., gather the lambs into the fold of the 
Great Shepherd ; and when he shall appear, may 
you receive a crown of glory that fadeth not 
away. You say, * that there is opportunity 
enoucrh in New Connecticut, for the exercise of 
self-denial.' I am no Papist. I never held to 
the propriety of doing penance, either to atone 
for my own sins, or those of others. You say, 
* there is an ample field for the exercise of 
benevolence in New Connecticut.' My dear 
brother, you must not always judge others by 
yourself. I tell you, at once, the field is not 
large enough for me. I intend, God willing, 
the little influence I have, shall be felt in every 
State in the Union ; and I should be very sorry 
to have it confined either by the Lakes, or the 
Gulph of Mexico, the Atlantic, or the Missis- 
sippi. 

On the last of these Missions, Mr. Mills left 
Boston in July, 1814 — went on to Connecticut, 
where he found the Rev. Mr. Smith, and en- 
gaged him to be his companion on the tour. 
The Massachusetts Missionary Society gave the 
first and principal patronage to this Mission. 
Having obtained considerable assistance from 



REY. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 71 

the Philadelphia Bible Society, and the Phila- 
delphia Missionary Society, and equipt with a 
large quantity of Bibles and Tracts, they pro- 
ceeded on their journey, followed by the prayers 
of many of the friends of Zion. In the interior 
of the State of Pennsylvania, they found exten- 
sive tracts of country, and especially the valleys 
between the Alleghany Mountains, exceedingly 
destitute of religious privileges. Throughout 
the country north of the Ohio river, there was a 
lamentable want both of Bibles and Missiona- 
ries. To supply the former, they became instru- 
mental in the formation of Bible Societies in 
Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, and 'Missouri; 
and to supply the latter, could do little more, 
while on their tour, than faithfully ascertain and 
point out the most important fields of Missionary 
labor. Of all these territories, they have said 
to the churches, '' We have travelled tnrou^rh 
them ; have seen the nakedness of the land ; 
and our eyes have affected our hearts. We 
have heard the cry, Come over and help us. 
Would that all Christians at the east would lift 
up their eyes and behold. Could they but see 
what we have seen — thousands ready to perish, 
their eyelids fast closed in spiritual slumber, and 
none to awake them — could they but see the 
sons and daughters of Jerusalem weepiijg for 
themselves and their children ; surely ministers 
would no longer be wantincr, nor funds for their 
support." Speaking of the Slate of Louisiana, 
they say, " There are American families in this 



2 MEMOIR OF 



part of our country, who 7iever saio a Bible, nor 
heard of Jesus Christ, It is a fact that ought 
not to he forgotten, that so lately as March, 
1815, a Bible in any language could not be 
found, for sale, or to he given away, in New 
Orleans. 

On this second visit to New Orleans, Mr. 
Mills pursued nearly the same loute, and exhib- 
ited the same indefatigable zeal and effort as on 
the first. He arrived at New Orleans shortly 
after the celebrated battle of the 8th of January, 
1815. The friends of religion in that place, as 
well as Mr. Mills's patrons ai the North, have 
ever considered it a *' kind and very unusual 
providence, that such a man should have been 
sent there at such a tijne.'^ It adds new lustre 
to his benevolence to see him like an angel of 
mercy, visiting the abodes of blood and carnage, 
and with so much zeal doing what he could to 
alleviate the sorrows and miseries o^ war. Some 
circumstances attending thes^ efforts w'e shall 
present from his private journal. 

'Teh. 10, 1815. This morning I called up- 
on Esq. Hennan ; and concluded, at his request, 
to take lodgings with him for the present. I 
called in company with Mr. H. at the public 
prison : there are three nundred English soldiers 
in the prison. A number of Bibles had some 
time since been distributed among them, by one 
of the managers of the Society. We foand 
many of them reading, w^ith great attention and 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILXS. 40 

seriousness, the copies which had been furnish- 
ed them. We gave them some additional sup- 
ply. They received the Bibles with evident ex- 
pressions of joy and gratitude. We distributed 
among them likewise a number of religious 
Tracts and Sermons. They returned many 
thanks for them. More or less of the soldiers 
are, it is said, apparently pious men. They in- 
formed us, that many of them were furnished 
with Bibles or Testaments, but left them on 
board the fleet. In the course of the same day, 
we called upon Dr. Dow. He informed us, that 
he had furnished some of the prisoners with a 
number of Watts's Psalms, and some other re- 
ligious books. 

*^ The succeeding day, I called at the United 
States Hospital, in company with Esq. Nichol- 
son. There are three hundred men sick and 
wounded in the hospital ; one hundred and 
eighty are English prisoners. Upon examining 
the several wards, we found that some of the 
prisoners had brought their Bibles from the 
fleet ; but this was rarely the case. A number 
of the sick and wounded, both English and 
Americans, expressed an earnest desire to be 
possessed of the sacred scriptures. Called at 
the Navy Hospital, containing about forty sick. 
There was not a Bible among them, as we could 
learn ; but more or less will thankfully receive 
them. W^e called at three different places, 
where a part of the sick soldiers belonging to 
the Kentucky detachment are quartered. The 



74 MEMOIR OF 

whole number of sick at these houses is one 
hundred and twenty. Many of them received 
the information with great satisfaction, when in- 
formed that some of them could be furnished 
with Bibles : this was manifest, from their 
countenances, and from the numerous applica- 
tions which were made for this blessed book. 
In one of the houses we found a number of the 
sick lying on the floor. One was reading from 
a New Testament to those around him. They 
had not a Bible in the house. 

*' i5th. 1 have ascertained that there are a 
considerable number of the troops belonging to 
the militia of this State, who are sick in hospi- 
tals, on the opposite side of the river. It is the 
impression of many who go to the hospitals, 
that they shall die in them. This impression 
perhaps hastens their dissolution, in some in- 
stances. 

^^22d. 1 crossed the river to-day, and visited 
the sick soldiers in the barracks. In tvv'o rooms 
there were near one hundred sick. It is truly 
affecting to visit these abodes of disease and 
death. The sick have not generally beds or 
mattresses. With medical aid they are tolerably 
well furnished : still no doubt many of them 
suffer much for the want of proper attendance. 
In some instances, when I have been attending 
the sick in one room, I could hear those in the 
room adjacent crying out, with great earnest- 
ness. Lord, have mercy on ua! — Jesus Christ, 
have mercy on us ! I informed those I visited 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 75 

that there were some Bibles on hand, to be 
given to the sick and the destitute. There 
were many applications for them. During my 
stay at the barracks, I was at six or eight of the 
rooms : there was not a Bible to be found in 
any of them. I have found unusual freedom in 
speaking to the sick and the dying, in the hospi- 
tals. They almost uniformly give very strict 
attention to what is said ; and their tears wit- 
ness for them that they do not remain unaffect- 
ed. God only knows how lasting their serious 
impressions may be : but from what I have 
seen and heard in the hospitals, I am inclined 
to believe that some of the sufferers have been 
born again, even on the threshold of the grave. 
Many of the troops, after their arrival in the 
vicinity of this place, were subjected to great 
fatigue while defending the lines. Many of 
them were standing or lying, for some succes- 
sive days and nights, in the low marshy ground, 
where the water was near a foot deep. The 
weather some of the time was so cold as to 
freeze ice a quarter of an inch in thickness. 
Some of the soldiers at this time were but poor- 
ly clothed. Three or four physicians, from Ken- 
tucky and Tennessee, have died but a short 
time since. 

*' 21th. This morning, I crossed the river to 
visit the sick in the barracks. Dr. G. introduced 
me to one of the sick under his care. He wish- 
ed me to converse with him. The sick man 
professed to hope that he was made a subject of 



76 MEMOIR OF 

the renewing grace of God about three years 
since. He readily acknowledged his lost and 
ruined state by nature, and professed his confi- 
dence in Jesus Christ, as the great atoning sacri- 
fice. He remarked, that he had no fears of 
death. He said he felt happy to be in the hands 
of a good and merciful God, and was willing to 
be at his disposal. He professed the fullest con- 
fidence in the rectitude of the divine govern- 
ment, and would endeavor to trust in the Lord. 
He added, that he had an aged and infirm 
mother, who looked to him for support and con- 
solation ; and if it should please Heaven, he 
could wish to recover, in hopes of relieving her 
sorrows, as she descended into the vale of years. 
After conversing with the sick man, I addressed 
those present. A number came in from the 
adjoining rooms. We sang, and closed with 
prayer. The season was a very solemn one : — 
many were in tears. 

" March \st. To-day I crossed the river, to 
visit the sick. During my stay, preached to 
more than 200 of the soldiers, who were able 
to assemble. The meeting was a solemn and 
interesting one. 

'' One of the chaplains belonging to the Ten- 
nessee detachment informed me lately, that most 
of the intemperate men from that State had died 
since they came here : his expression was, the 
hard drinkers are nearly all gone. 

'^ 11th. This morning I rode down to the 
Kentucky camp : the Generals Adair and Thomas 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. il 

accompanied me. I had made a previous ap- 
pointment to preach at the camp at ten o'clock, 
A. M. The notice had been given to the sol- 
diers, and arrangements made. The place for 
preaching was in the open field. A platform 
was prepared for the speaker to stand on, raised 
six or eight feet from the ground. A large con- 
gregation was collected in a short time. As 
many as eight hundred or a thousand soldiers 
were present. They behaved with great pro- 
priety during the service — were solemn and at- 
tentive." ^ 

On this mission, Mr. Mills was particularly 
intrusted, by the Philadelphia Bible Society, 
with the distribution of a quantity of French 
Bibles. The manner in which this trust was 
discharged, and the Testaments received by 
the Roman Catholics in New Orleans and its 
vicinity, we shall present by an extract from his 
Report to the Philadelphia Society. 

'* As has already been stated, I reached New 
Orleans on the tenth of February. I soon as- 
certained that the 3000 copies of the Testament, 
directed to the care of the managers of the Lou- 
isiana Bible Society, had been received. But 
none of them had at that time been offered to 
the people. A few copies w^ere given out on 
the day I arrived in the place. The succeeding 
day an additional number was distributed. 

** The day following, February 12th, the 



78 MEMOIR OF 

number of the destitute who made application 
for a supply very much increased. From nine 
o'clock, A. M. to one, P. M. the door of the dis- 
tributor was thronged with from fifty to one 
hundred persons. Those who applied were of 
all ages and of all colors. They were literally 
clamorous in their solicitations for the sacred 
book. For some successive days the applicants 
became still more numerous. In a Aveek after 
the distribution of the Testaments commenced, 
one thousand copies were given out. Some of 
those who requested a supply came prepared to 
purchase theui. They remarked to the distribu- 
tor, that they must have a supply by some means. 
The Principal of the College, and a number of 
the instructors of the public schools in the city, 
presented written statements, containing a list 
of the scholars under their care, who would 
make a profitable use of the Testaments, could 
the charity be extended to them. These state- 
ments were respectfully addressed to the distrib- 
utor, with a request that as many of the schol- 
ars might be supplied as was consistent with 
the views of the managers of the society. Their 
solicitations were, in most cases, complied with. 
^* Pere Antonio, a leading character in the 
Roman Catholic church in the city, very readily 
aided in the circulation of the Testaments 
among his people. Some more than two years 
ago, the Rev. Father engaged to assist in the 
distribution of French Bibles and Testaments. 
Soon after I arrived in the city, I called upon 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 79 

him, m company with Mr. Hennan. We in- 
formed him that the Testaments had been re- 
ceived from the managers of the Philadelphia 
Bible Society, and presented him with a number 
of copies. He expressed great satisfaction, and 
repeatedly invoked the blessing of God on the 
donors. He observed, that God would certainly 
bless the generous, pious men, who had exerted 
themselves to give to the destitute his holy W'ord. 
He expressed his desire to obtain an additional 
number of copies, and engaged that he would 
make the most judicious disti4bution of them 
in his power. He rem/arked, that he would give 
them to those persons who would be sure to read 
them through. 

*' Soon after the distribution of the Testa- 
ments commenced, Mr. Hennan called upon 
Mr. Du Bourg, the administrator of the bishopric, 
and informed him that the Testaments, printed 
by the managers of the Philadelphia Bible Soci- 
ety, had been received ; and that some copies 
had been given to the people. The bishop ob- 
served, that he had been made acquainted with 
the circumstance by some of his people, who had 
called upon him to ascertain, whether he would 
advise them to receive the Testaments. He 
added, that as they were not of the version autho- 
rized by the Catholic church, he could not aid 
in the distribution of them. When the distribu- 
tion of the Testaments in the convent was sug- 
gested, the bishop remarked, that the parents of 
the children who received instruction at that 



80 MEMOIR OF 

place were at liberty to furnish them if they 
thought best. I had myself an interview with 
the bishop : during our conversation, he express- 
ed to me his regret that the Roman Catholic 
version of the Testament, printed in Boston in 
1810, had not been followed, rather than the 
version printed by the British and Foreign Bible 
Society. He observed, however, that he should 
prefer to have the present version of the Testa- 
ment in the possession of the people, rather than 
have them remain entirely ignorant of the sa- 
cred scriptures. I here state one or two inci- 
dents which occurred, as related by the bishop, 
connected with the circulation of the Testa- 
ments : — A poor woman of his flock called on 
him, and, handing him one of the Testaments, 
apparently with great anxiety, addressed him in 
the following manner : Good Father, what 
book is this ? The bishop looking at it, replied. 
Why, my child, it is the history of the Evange- 
lists — it is the gospel. I know that, replied the 
woman ; but is it a book you would recommend 
to your people 1 Said the bishop. It is a Protest- 
ant version ; it is as Calvin would have transla- 
ted it. Good Father, replied the woman, keep 
the book ! keep the book ! My child, answered 
the bishop, you may retain the book, if you 
please. Read it with care ; and should you 
find any thing contrary to the Catholic faith, 
you w^ill bear in mind that it is a Protestant 
version. 

*'Miss J. one of the Nuns, called upon the 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. SI 

bishop somewhat agitated. She had been read- 
ing the Testament. Her mind was perplexed 
by the expression, in the summary of the first 
chapter of the First Epistle of St. John : * Et 
la confession de nos peches a Dieu ;' and the 
confession of our sins to God. She had been 
taught, that the confession of our sins was to be 
made to the priest ; or rather, to God, as the 
Roman Catholics say, through or by the priest. 
She inquired what could be intended by the ex- 
pression, confession of our sins to God, He 
informed her that the translation was a Protest- 
ant one, and that the expression she referred to 
was prefixed to the chapter by the translator. 
The bishop remarked to me that he thought it 
not proper, that any explanations of the contents 
of the chapters should be prefixed to either 
Bibles or Testaments designed for circulation 
among the Roman Catholics. 

*' As early as the first of March, fifteen or six- 
teen hundred copies of the Testaments had been 
given out. Many of those who applied for 
them were very earnest in their requests. Some 
of them said, that they came in from the coun- 
try, and could not be denied ; and some of 
them, that they had made repeated applications, 
without success. Some wished the Testaments 
for themselves ; some for a son or a daughter ; 
and some were anxious to obtain a copy for each 
of their children. It was frequently the case, 
that numbers would remain a considerable time 
at the door of the distributor, after notice was 



82 MEMOIR OF 

given that no more Testaments would be given 
out until the succeeding day. Many applica- 
tions were made by people of color. We found 
that a much greater proportion of them, both 
old and young, could read intelligibly, than has 
generally been supposed. 

** Soon after my arrival at New Orleans, I 
had some conversation with a respectable plant- 
er, a Roman Catholic, respecting the circula- 
tion of the Testaments. He remarked to me, 
that he did not think a good Catholic had any 
occasion to read the Bible. Before I left that 
place, I ascertained that he had perused some 
portions of the Testament ; and he informed a 
friend of his, that what he had read excited in 
his mind many reflections. A woman and her 
daughter came in from the Bayou St. John, two 
miles from the city. She irhformed the distrib- 
utor, that she had heard that there were Bibles 
and Testaments to be given to the destitute, and 
that she was hardly disposed to credit the report. 
She concluded, however, she would * Come and 
seer' 

On Mr. Mills's return from this tour, it very 
naturally became an object of desire with him to 
turn the attention of the Atlantic States to that 
destitute region. Before his return to New 
England, he took pains to have an interview 
with the managers of the Baltimore and Phila- 
delphia Societies, and to give them a full view 
of the real condition of these portions of our 



RET. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 83 

country. The same representation was also 
made in substance to the Connecticut Bible 
Society, as well as to the Society who were the 
immediate patrons of the enterprize. In conse- 
quence of this, the Baltimore and Philadelphia 
Societies came to a resolution immediately to 
set on foot measures to supply the Southern and 
Western country with Bibles ; and the Con- 
necticut Bible Society promptly voted five hun- 
dred Bibles to the sister Society in Louisiana, for 
gratuitous distribution, wherever they were in the 
greatest demand; and the whole tjountry received 
a new impulse in favor of Domestic Missions. 

We cannot finish the narrative of this Mission 
more acceptably than in the closing paragraph 
of Messrs. Mills and Smith's Report : — 

'* We have now given a brief account of our 
tour — of our exertions, and of the success with 
which the Lord has been pleased to favor us, 
in advancing the kingdom of our Redeemer. 
We have presented some sketches of the moral 
and religious state of the country, through which 
we have passed. In reviewing the whole, we 
feel compelled to call upon our own souls, and 
to call upon the patrons of the Mission, to bless 
the Lord. Surely goodness and mercy have 
follow^ed us all the way. On a journey of more 
than six thousand miles, and passing through 
a great variety of climates — in perils in the 
city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils 
on the rivers, and in perils on the sea — the 



84 MEMOIR OF 

Lord has preserved us. — Neither can we for- 
bear to express our obligations to our dear 
Christian friends in the Western country. We 
were strangers, and they took us in. From 
many we received pecuniary aid, besides other 
important services ; while the kind attentions 
and Christian fellowship of others alleviated our 
labors and comforted our hearts. 

** In return for these favors, we have felt 
compelled to do what we could for them. Ever 
since we came back to this land of Christian 
privileges, we have been endeavoring to arouse 
the attention of the public, and to direct it 
towards the west. These exertions have been 
stimulated by a deep conviction of the deplora- 
ble state of that country. Never will the im- 
pression be erased from our hearts, that has 
been made by beholding those scenes of wide- 
spreading desolation. The whole country, from 
Lake Erie to the Gulf of Mexico, is as the 
valley of the shadow of death. Darkness rests 
upon it. Only here and there, a few rays of 
gospel light pierce through the awful gloom. 
This vast country contains more than a million 
of inhabitants. Their number is every year 
increased, by a mighty flood of emigration. 
Soon they will be as the sands on the sea-shore 
for multitude. Yet there are at present only a 
little more than one hundred Presbyterian or 
Congregational ministers in it. Were these 
ministers equally distributed throughout the 
country, there would be only one to every ten 



REV. SA1MUEL J. MILLS. 85 

thousand people. But now there are districts 
of country, containing from twenty to fifty thou- 
sand inhabitants, entirely destitute. And how 
shajl thty hear ivithout ajjreacher ? 

** From the estimates made, it appears that 
seventy'Six thousand families are destitute of 
the sacred volume, in this portion of our country. 
These estimates are not ungrounded and ex- 
aggerated conjectures. They are the result of 
much inquiry and patient examination. It is 
our sober conviction, that at least 76,000 Bibles 
are necessary for the supply oi the destitute ; 
and the number is every year increasing. Most 
of those who emigrate from the older States are 
poor. There are many young men who go into 
that country, and are married afterwards — and 
never have an opportunity of supplying their 
families with Bibles. The number of Bibles 
sent there by all the Societies in the United 
States, is by no means as great as the yearly 
increase of the destitute. The original number 
i -ill remains unsupplied. When we entered on 
the Mission, we applied in person to the oldest 
and wealthiest of these institutions for Bibles to 
distribute in the western country ; but we could 
only obtain one solitary donation. The ex- 
isting Societies have not yet been able to supply 
the demand, in their own immediate vicinity. 
Some mightier effort must be made. Their 
scattered and feeble exertions are by no means 
adequate to the accomplishment of the object. 
It is thought by judicious people, that half a 
8 



86 MEMOIR OF 

million of Bibles are necessary for the supply 
of the destitute in the United States. It is a 
foul blot on our national character. Christian 
America must arise and wipe it away. The 
existing Societies are not able to do it. They 
want union; — they want co-operation ;— they 
want resources. If a National Institution can- 
not be formed, application ought to be made to 
the British and Foreign Bible Society for aid." 

The beneficial results of these two Missionary 
tours can never be duly appreciated. By these 
means, the whole extent of our w^estern and 
southern territory was explored, and an accurate 
disclosure of its moral and spiritual desolation 
made to the churches ; — a new and mighty im- 
pulse was given to the whole system of domes- 
tic benevolence ; — Bible Societies were imme- 
diately established in the different western and 
southern Stales, and the good work still goes 
on ; — thousands of religious tracts have gone, 
and are now going, the winged messengers of 
salvation, into every section of the country ; — 
the gospel of the grace of God was preached to 
a vast multitude of the dw^ellers in the w^ilder- 
ness ; — no less than ten or twelve Missionaries 
were sent among them, the very first year after 
the information of their wants was circulated, 
and more the second, and still more the third, 
and so forth, until, in May, 1826, the American 
Home Missionary Society arose, which has 
already ** extended aid to between six and seven 
hundred different congregations and Missionary 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS, 87 

districts, in twenty two States and territories." 
And thus, in defiance of its obstinate and long- 
continued barrenness, our own wilderness be- 
gins to blossom like the rose. 



88 



MEMOIR OF 



CHAPTER VI. 



His instimmentality in bringing forward the 
Ameincan Bible Society, and the United Fo- 
7^eign Missiojiary Society, 

Soon after his return from his last tour 
through the western and southern country, Mr. 
Mills received ordination, as minister of the 
gospel, in company with several Missionary 
brethren, at Newburyport, Massachusetts, on 
the twenty first day of June, 1815. He then 
left New England, and took up his residence 
in the middle States, and within the bounds 
of the Presbyterian church. Here he spent 
two of the most profitable years of his life, 
unobserved, and almost unknown, yet silently 
exercisincr an influence, and settinoj in motion 
several illustrious plans of mercy to mankind. 
He resided alternately in Albany, New York, 
Newark, Philadelphia, and Washington ; and 
his attention was here principally occupied in 
consulting with men of influence among the 
clergy and laity, as to the wisdom and practica- 
bility of several of his unaccomplished purposes. 

Amonor these was the establishment of a Na- 
tional Bible Society. We have no warrant to 



UEV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 89 

Bav% that the idea of a National Bible Society 
first originated with Mr. Mills, As early as the 
year 1810, a proposition for a national institu- 
tion was submitted to the New York Bible 
Society, by the Rev. Secretary of the British 
and Foreign Bible Society, accompanied by 
some very flattering overtures, in the event of 
carrying the proposition into effect. Essentially 
the same proposition was also made to the Phila- 
delphia Bible Society. To this proposition the 
Directors of both these Societies returned a full 
and decided negative. And it i^ but justice to 
say, that long after this intimation was laid to 
rest, the plan of the existing American Bible 
Society originated in the bosom of Mr. Mills. 

At the close of the report of the southern and 
western tour, we find the sentiment : — ** If a na- 
tional institution cannot be formed^ application 
in behalf of these destitute ought to be made to 
the British and Foreign Bible Society for aid.'' 
The formation of this national institution Mr. 
Mills thought of, and suggested, and pressed 
the suggestion, long before it probably entered 
into the mind of any other individual. With 
the gentlemen who were interested in the early 
stages of this measure, he had frequent inter- 
views ; and though he concealed the hand that 
moved it forward, was himself the principal 
mover of the design, and a principal agent in 
inducing others of greater weight of character 
to become its abettors. The writer well recol- 
lects the efforts of this persevering man to at- 
8* 



90 MEMOIR OF 

tain this important object. Witli some hope 
that the measure might be brought forward 
by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian 
church, in 1814 he procured a consultation of 
his fathers and brethren in the ministry as to 
the expediency of setting the plan on foot at 
that meeting. Though the writer was not him- 
self interested in the consultation, he had the 
honor to be a member of the Assembly that 
year, and is personally acquainted with the indi- 
viduals with whom his friend did consult, as 
well as with the result of the consultation. It 
was then thought to be the best advised course, 
that, for the sake of avoiding every thing like a 
sectarian influence and form, and embodying 
the mass of Christian effort of all denomina- 
tions, the measure should originate with no one 
ecclesiastical body, but with somie one of the 
State Bible Societies, w^ho could give it cur- 
rency with the least suspicion of local or party 
views. It was on the rising of the Assembly 
that year, that a respectable member of that 
body, to whom Mr. Mills had intimated the de- 
sign, on his return from Philadelphia to Boston, 
had an interview with the venerable man by 
whose industry and vigilance tho proposition 
was at length submitted to the different Bible 
Societies, and by whose intelligent piety and 
princely munificence, so early and powerful an 
impulse was given to this magnificent institu- 
tion. It was at this interview the foundation of 
this lofty edifice was laid ; and if it has inscri* 



REV. SAMUEL J. MfLLS. 91 

bed on one side the endeared and memorable 
irame of Elias BouDiNOT, it has on the other 
the humble inscription o^ Samuel J. Mills, 

The following letter will be regarded as addi- 
tional evidence of the part which Mr. Mills 
took in orio:inatino' this Society. In a com- 
munication to the writer, Mr. Smith, his com- 
panion on the second southern tour, remarks, 
*^ Having been associated with Mr. Mills in one 
of his most important undertakings, and having 
been his constant and confidential companion 
for the greater part of a year, amid a great 
variety of labors, dancrers, and trials ; at a pe- 
riod too when nearly all his grand schemes of 
benevolence were in a train of accomplishment, 
I have enjoyed some important advantages for 
understanding his very peculiar and interesting 
character. An important matter that occupied 
much of the attention of our lamented brother, 
was the formation of the American Bible So- 
ciety. It was on his mind for years before it 
was formed. Indeed, he once gave me dis- 
tinctly to understand that it originated with 
him. At a very early period, he procured a 
friend to write one or more essays upon the 
subject, which were published. He carried the 
plan with him on both his Missionary tours to 
the south and west, and exerted his influence in 
favor of the contemplated institution.'' 

Mr. Mills continued to take a deep interest 
in the formation of the Bible Society, and to 
use all his exertions with his friends in favor of 



92 MEMOIR OF 

it, until the very day arrived on which it was 
organized. It was on the 8lh day of May, 
1816, a day long to be remembered in the an- 
nals of the American people. A convention of 
delegates from different Bible Societies in the 
United States, having been invited to assemble 
on that day in the city of New York, ** resolved 
unanimously, that it is expedient to establish, 
without delay, a General Bible Institution, for 
the circulation of the holy scriptures, without 
note or comment." This convention did not 
close their sessions till they had prepared and 
adopted the Constitution and elected the mana- 
gers of the society, and issued an address to 
the people of the United States, giving informa- 
tion of the existence of the institution, and invi- 
ting their co-operation in the benevolent and 
exalted cause. It is hardly necessary to re- 
mark, that this was a day to which Mr. Mills 
looked forward with the deepest interest. Of 
course, he was present at the meeting. And 
when the discussions had proceeded so far that 
it was no longer doubtful that a union of differ- 
ent denominations would be formed in this stu- 
pendous work of charity, then you might have 
seen him, elevated on a distant seat behind the 
crowd, contemplating the scene with a look of 
divine delight, which it would require the pencil 
of a West or a Raphael to delineate. That 
countenance was observed at the moment ; and 
it left an impression which will probably be re^ 
tained among the last traces of memory, 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 93 

Though many doubting apprehensions were 
entertained by the warmest friends of this meas- 
ure, yet the noble spirit of Christian feeling and 
imanimity, which pervaded the minds of all 
present, gave energy and success to their sub- 
sequent operations. The resources and use- 
fulness of this Society have been constantly 
increasing. Its twelfth anniversary, celebrated 
in May, 1829, was attended with circumstances 
of deep and general interest. A resolution was 
passed which cheers the Christian patriot, not 
only when he looks upon the fbture destiny of 
this country, but also when he reflects upon the 
influence which he has reason to believe the 
example of such a m.easure will spread over the 
world. The resolution is the following, which, 
after an animated and interestinor discussion, 
was unanimously adopted : — ^' That this Society, 
with a humble reliance on divine aid, will 
endeavor to supply all the destitute families of 
the United States with the holy scriptures, that 
may be willing to purchase or receive them, 
within the space of two years, provided means be 
furnished by its auxiliaries and benevolent indi- 
viduals in season to enable the Board of Mana- 
gers to carry this resolution into effect." Thus, 
with the blessincr of Him whose word has brougrht 
life and immortality to life, ten or fifteen hun- 
dred thousand copies of the holy scriptures will 
be scattered over this extensive nation. In the 
formation of this society, Mr. Mills seemed to be 



94 MEMOIR OF 

urged on to his labors by a presentiment of the 
results it was destined to accomplish. 

It was long an object of earnest solicitude 
with Mr. Mills, to see the spirit of missions 
excited throughout the Presbyterian church. 
Though the General Assembly have, from the 
formation of that venerable body, been engaged 
in the pious and benevolent work of sending the 
gospel to the destitute in the new settlements ; 
and though the Missionary concerns of this por- 
tion of the Christian church have been gradually 
increasing in extent and importance, and proved 
highly beneficial to the Presbyterian interest, 
and greatly instrumental in promoting the com- 
mon cause of Christianity ; — yet we have done 
comparatively little in the great cause of Mis- 
sions. Though we started in the race early, 
other denominations, on this, as well as on the 
other side of the Atlantic, have run far before 
us. It is time the painful fact were considered 
and bewailed, that, too intent upon local inte- 
rests, we have as yet caught little of the spirit 
which animates our brethren of other denomina- 
tions, and burns with zeal to shed the light of 
salvation through the region and shadow of 
death. 

This Mr. Mills saw and lamented. Perceiv- 
ing the Presbyterian church to cover so vast a 
territory, and to possess so large a share of the 
property of the whole country ; acquainted as he 
was with the evangelical spirit of her ministers, 
and the frequent outpourings of the Holy Spirit 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 95 

upon her congregations ; he had a powerful con- 
viction, that little else was necessary than to 
awaken her attention and combine her energies. 
¥/hile this subject was revolving in his thoughts, 
he was residing at Newark, in New Jersey, 
under the roof of one with whom he was ac- 
quainted in his youth, who was his father's 
friend, and whom he always viewed as a father 
and a confidant. Here he matured the plan 
which eventuated in the union of the three 
churches, involving the Presbyterians of the 
General Assembly, the Dutch \Reformed, and 
the Associate Reformed, in that catholic and 
truly Christian institution, ** The United Fo- 
reign Missionary Society." 

In a communication to his father, dated New 
York, May, 1816, he writes, *' I have expected 
to visit you this season, but I have lately con- 
cluded to attend the sittings of the General 
Assembly at Philadelphia. As yet, I am not 
determined with respect to the course I shall 
pursue for the summer. I have under conside- 
ration some plans, one at least of importance, 
which will be probably presented to the Assem- 
bly :— I mean, the formation of a Foreign Mis- 
sionary Society in the Presbyterian connexion. 

Dr. G thinks it important I should aid the 

object, by using what influence I may have with 
gentlemen who will be present at Philadelphia." 

Mr. Mills attended the Assembly, and in a 
subsequent communication to the same person, 
he says, '* I have spent a part of my time in 



9() MEMOIR OF 

Philadelphia, and a part in New York. The 
Presbyterian church, it is well known, have 
heretofore, as a church, made no exertions to 
send Missionaries out of the limits of the States. 
I have for a long time thought it desirable that 
their attention should be directed to the subject 
of Foreign Missions ; not only with the view of 
sending the gospel to the destitute abroad, but 
in hope that exertion of this kind might excite 
more zeal for the diffusion of religious know- 
ledge in our own country. I conceive the 
object is secured. The General Assembly, at 
their last session, chose a committee of seven 
members to consult with the Dutch and Scotch 
churches, and ascertain whether they would 
not unite with the Presbyterian church in the 
formation of a Foreign Missionary Society. 
The committees of the Dutch and Scotch are 
also appointed, and I think the prospect in favor 
of the union. I conceive there is no doubt the 
Presbyterian church will move forward in this 

business. Dr. G and Dr. R — — are on 

the committee, and very much in favor of the 
object. The formation of a Foreign Missionary 
Society in these churches, will be esteemed one 
of the grandest objects which has ever been 
effected within their limits. I would not inti- 
mate that I have been the prime mover in this 
business : if I have been permitted, with others, 
to aid the object, it is enough." Notwithstand- 
ing this modest reserve, next to the Spirit of 
God upon his heart, Mr. Mills was the ** prime 



REV. SAMUEL 3. MILLS. 97 

mover in this business ;" and he had the satis- 
faction to see the three divisions of the Presby- 
terian interest in our country united with per- 
fect harmony, and under the sanction of their 
highest judicatories, in the blessed work of evan- 
gelizing the globe. 

The United Foreign Missionary Society, 
having despatched two agents on an exploring 
tour to the West, determined, upon the infor- 
mation thus collected, to establish, without delay, 
a Mission among the Osages of the Arkansas 
Territory. In the Spring of 1820, the first Mis- 
sionaries for that tribe, left New York on their 
benevolent enterprize. The expedition was soon 
followed by others to other tribes ; and, in the 
Ninth Report of the Society for the year 1826, 
we find there were under its care ten Missionary 
stations, with seven ordained Missionaries, and 
fifty native assistants ; all of whom were em- 
ployed among the descendants of the native 
possessors of this country, except a single 
Missionary, and an assistant, who were laboring 
in Hayti, among the colored people, who have 
lately removed thither from the United States. — 
This was the last report of the society. Propo- 
sals having been made to amalgamate this 
Society with the American Board of Commis- 
sioners for Foreign Missions, in order that the 
great object for which both were instituted 
might be more efficiently prosecuted ; and con- 
sultations having been held, the union of the 
two Societies was consummated in 1826, when 
9 



98 MEMOIR OF 

all the concerns of the United Foreign Missionary 
Society were transferred to the American Board. 
While upon this part of Mr. Mills's history, in 
justice to his memory, as well as to the cause he 
loved, there ought to be brought into view one 
project, that he did not accomplish : I mean a 
tour into South America, with a view to explore 
the country, and prepare the way for Missionary 
enterprize in that interesting part of the world. 
It was his own opinion that the United Foreign 
Missionary Society would eventually set on foot 
a measure of this sort. On the practicability 
and probable utility of such a mission, he col- 
lected, at different times, much important infor- 
mation. He used many efforts to engage others 
in this work ; and expressed his determination 
to enter upon it himself Indeed, he once made 
overtures of this nature to the American Board 
of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The 
plan of such a tour was once in a very consid- 
erable degree matured. He alludes to it in the 

following letter to Mr. E C , a beloved 

brother in the Ministry : — 

'' NeW'Yorh, M October, 1816. 

*' DEAR SIR, 

" I am happy in having an opportunity to 
acknowledge the receipt of your interesting let- 
ter, dated Hartford, Sept. 19. It appears to me, 
that the gentlemen appointed to direct the con- 
cerns of the Hawaiian youth, are competent to 
manage that business, without instructions from 



RET. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 99 

the Board of Commissioners. But no doubt it 
is best as it is. 

** I thank you for suggesting the expediency 
of an exploring Mission to the Rev. Fathers at 
Hartford, and am happy to hear that they approve 
of the object. I have long thought, that to 
effect what we wish in the best manner, it 
would be desirable to sail in a ship commanded 
by officers who should have the business of 
exploring and ascertaining the best Missionary 
stations particularly in view during the voyage. 
But perhaps such an opportunity ought not to 
be expected. But I confess I am tired of 
delays. I have for some time past been endeav- 
oring to pass the limits of these States and terri- 
tories. I am * pestered in this pin-hole here.' 

^' Thus far my experience proves, that the 
further I proceed from home, the greater good 
God enables me to do. By his blessing, most 
has been effected at the most distant points. I 
do not know that a similar result would follow 
on the Mission we contemplate ; but I should 
like to try it, and alone, if it seems the will of 
Heaven. I hope you will lose no time in ma- 
king the inquiries necessary to ascertain wheth- 
er a passage could be obtained on board the ship 
which you refer to in your letter. I should 
wish to know the character of the commodore, 
or captain ; and if a chaplain is wanted, what 
would be the services expected from one acting 
in that capacity ? J shall wish to know at what 
places the ship will touch during the voyage ; 



100 MEMOIR OF 

and I should particularly wish you to give me 
the opinion of my Christian friends in the vicini- 
ty of Boston, relative to my quaHfications for 
the contemplated service. You will have oppor- 
tunity to see the gentlemen belonging to the 
Prudential Committee of the Board of Foreign 
Missions, and I hope you will converse with 
them on this subject. Were I to engage in 
this service, I should hope a brother might be 
found who would go with me. Perhaps the 
Lord will incline you to engage in this work. 

**It is expected that the ship Eagle, command- 
ed by Captain Davis, will sail from Boston, in a 
few weeks, for the Northwest Coast. The ship 
will call at the Sandwich Islands during the voy- 
age ; but there are objections to going in one 
engaged in the Northwest trade. Still a list of 
inquiries might be presented, requesting particu- 
lar information with respect to the state of the 
islands, and other places where the ship should 
call. I hope this hint will be kept in mind. 

'* My dear brother, should I leave this coun- 
try, and you remain here, you must supply my 
place, or find some person who will. I cannot 
leave the benevolent plans I have in view, with- 
out some one to see them perfected. 

" Yours affectionately, 

'' SAMUEL J. MILLS." 

It is to be regretted that this enterprize was 
not carried into immediate execution. None 
can tell the important results that might have 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 101 

been connected with it, in giving form and 
features to the new Republics, that have since 
sprung into being in Spanish America. The 
abandonment of the project, however, was not 
final. Seven years elapsed after Mr. Mills had 
matured the plan, when the American Board of 
Commissioners for Foreign Missions, engaged 
the services of two gentlemen, one of whom, 
Mr. Brigham, crossed the southern part of 
South America, explored its western shore ; 
visited Mexico, and brought home a mass of 
facts, which have awakened a deep and increas- 
ing interest in behalf of that country. But here 
and there a single ray of religious liberty is per- 
mitted to shine through the dark cloud of 
Catholic despotism, which, at the present time, 
notwithstanding the political revolutions, almost 
universally overspreads the land. This vast 
country presents a most inviting field for Mis- 
sionary labor, and ^* who on earth, rather than 
ourselves, are the people to pour the river of 
life through that desolate region ?" 

Whatever may be the obstacles to such a Mis- 
sion, they are no more than have' been sur- 
mounted in other portions of the earth. What 
has been accomplished in South America by the 
United Brethren, forms no criterion by which to 
judge of the success of Missionary efforts in the 
present age of the world, and present condition 
of that community. The trials which they ex- 
perienced are not to be looked for again : the 
scenes of Berbice, Surinam, Bambay, and Par* 
9* 



102 MEMOIR OF 

rimaribo, will never probably be acted over again 
while the world stands. Let it not be forgotten 
that the question, whether South America shall 
be free, is to be determined by the question 
whether she is to be Christian ? Liberty with- 
out godliness, is but another name for anar- 
chy or despotism. Let philosophers and states- 
men argue as they please — the religion of the 
gospel is the rock on which civil liberty rests. 
You have never known a people free without 
the Bible ; with it, they cannot long be slaves. 
Let not the American churches forget, that 
more than one quarter of the circumference of 
the globe lying immediately under their eye, is 
little else than an extended dungeon, where forty 
millions of immortal beings are in the gall of 
bitterness and the bonds of iniquity. 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 103 



CHAPTER VII. 



His residence in New- Yorlc^ and his exertions in 
behalf of the Poor and Ignorant in that city. 

Few men knew better how to gather np the 
fragments of time than Mr. Mills. '* Wist ye 
not that I must be about my Father's business V 
appeared incessantly to be his motto. He was 
seldom at a loss to know how to " fill up life 
well ;" and it was no difficult task to a mind 
like his, to create opportunities of usefulness, 
where he did not find them ready to his hand. 
While some of his plans were ripening for exe- 
cution, he spent the summer and autumn of 
1816, in the city of New York, where he devo- 
ted himself to inquiries into the moral condition 
of the poor, with a particular view to supply 
them with Bibles and tracts. 

The true condition of our large cities, in 
respect of moral instruction, it is lamentable to 
state, has been little thought of, even by those 
who, in other departments of duty, manifest a 
commendable zeal in promoting the best inte- 
rests of their fellow-men. This ** New Mis- 
sionary Field," as it has been justly styled, 
discloses a picture of pollution and misery 



104 MEMOIR OF 

which we little expected to behold. From an 
interesting document, published in 1817, it ap- 
pears, that not less than 60,000 persons in the 
city of New York, 18,000 in the city of Boston, 
upwards of 50,000 in the city of Philadelphia, 
between 30 and 40,000 in Baltimore, and up- 
wards of 10,000 in Charleston, are wretchedly 
destitute of the privileges of the gospel, and in a 
state of sottish ignorance and deep impiety. 
Upwards of 700,000 also in London, and 80,000 
in Liverpool, are in the same deplorable igno- 
rance ; *^ while in Great Britain and on the 
continent, most other cities are in no better, 
and many of them are in a much worse condi- 
tion.'^ What must be thought of that commu- 
nity, where, in one section, *' out of twenty 
families adjoining each other, sixteen are desti- 
tute of the Bible ; in another, out of one hun- 
dred and fifteen families adjoining each other, 
seventy are destitute ; in another, out of thirty- 
two, twenty-one are destitute ; and in another, 
out of thirty, twenty-seven are destitute" — and 
that in this Christian land ? Little do we know 
what heathenism is to be found in our most en- 
lightened and privileged cities. Corroborative 
of these remarks, and as indicative of the ex- 
tent and success of Mr. Mills's efforts for the 
relief of this class of people, a few facts will be 
presented from his own journal : — 

'* June 20. Mr. S and myself called at 

a house on Manhattan Island. The first per- 
son we saw was a married woman, about 30 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 105 

years of age. After a few introductory obser- 
vations, we inquired of her whether she had a 
Bible in her family. ' A Bible/ said she, with 
an expression of some surprise, * what do you 
do with the Bible V We told her that the Bible 
was tiie word of the living God, and ought to 
be attentively perused by every one ; that we 
all needed its instructions, and the consolations 
which its doctrines and precepts were able to 
give, when received in the love of them. Her 
countenance soon became more solemn, and 
she listened attentively to the serious admonition 
which was given her. We gave her a religious 
Tract, and addressed ourselves to another woman 
who came in. She was 35 or 40 years of age. 
She appeared a sensible woman, and we had 
reason to hope before we left the house that she 
was a pious person. She informed us, that she 
had entertained a hope that she was a Christian 
for more than twelve years. Her circumstances 
had been such, that she had not made a public 
profession of religion, though she had often 
wished for the privilege of doing so. It appear- 
ed that the reason of her delaying this duty, 
had been owing principally to the want of evi- 
dence with respect to her good estate. Her 
attachments were in favor of the Presbyterian 
church. The greater part of the time we were 
conversing with this woman, there was present 
a young lady, who appeared very solemn. We 
entered into conversation with her, and found 
that for some months past she had been the 



106 MEMOIR OF 

subject of very serious impressions, and still 
continued so. She spoke of her guilt as very 
great, and expressed her fears that there was no 
mercy for her. She had lately come to the 
island, from a place in Connecticut, where 
there had been a revival of religion. Her case 
excited in us a peculiar interest. We addres- 
sed her as we thought was proper to address 
one, whose mind was awakened to serious con- 
cern by the influences of the Holy Spirit. After 
we left the house, we remarked to each other 
on the variety in the characters of those who 
resided under the same roof. 

'^ It seemed that the woman with whom we 
first conversed, had been entirely neglectful of 
the concerns of her soul, and chose to continue 
in that state. 

'* The second expressed a humble hope that 
she had been born again, and that she belonged 
to Christ. 

*' The third seemed to feel herself a guilty 
condemned sinner, and feared lest she had sin- 
ned away the day of grace, and must perish 
forever. 

'* Visited another family. The woman pro- 
fessed to belong to the Methodist church. She 
said that her husband once belonged to the 
same connexion, but did not at that time belong 
to any church. While we were conversing se- 
riously with the woman, her husband came in. 
Some observations of a reliorious nature were 
addressed to him. He said he knew all about 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 107 

these things. He said he had once been a 
Christian himself, but had fallen from grace, 
and his circumstances were such, that he could 
not reform at that time. He said he knew that 
he was in the snare of the devil, and that if he 
should then die he should be damned, and per- 
ish with a greatly aggravated condemnation. 
He remarked, that notwithstanding this convic- 
tion, which haunted him day and night, he felt 
no disposition to attempt a reform at that time. 
He said he was far gone in iniquity, and nothing 
we could say would awake him ; still at times 
he had a hope that he should see better days. 
During our conversation with him, he more 
than once reverted to his circumstances, as un- 
favorable to his entering again upon a life of 
piety and devotedness to God ; and observed, 
that if he was in some remote solitary situation, 
he would change his course of conduct, and 
reform. We expressed to him our surprise, if 
he really believed this to be the fact, that he 
should remain a moment where he then was. 
We inquired of him why he did not flee with 
his family from the place where he then was, in 
as great haste as if the house were on fire over 
his head. But we could not move him. During^ 
our conversation with him, we gave him to un- 
derstand that we did not think he had ever 
experienced religion, and that he had always 
been the enemy of God. He replied, that ^' he 
knew not what we could believe, if we miaht 
not give credit to our own feelings and convic- 



108 MEMOIR OF 

tions. No one could convince him that he had 
not previously been a Christian.'' Nothing that 
we could say seemed to have much effect upon 
him* He generally acknowledged all we said, 
and censured himself severely, but seemed de- 
termined to remain where he was. He appeared 
to us one of the most hopeless characters we 
had ever seen; possessed of a certain fearful 
looking-for of judgment, and fiery indignation, 
which shall devour the adversaries. 

** Generally the people are very ignorant. 
Ask them if they hope they are Christians, they 
answer " yes, they have no doubt of that." Ask 
them whether they have ever been born again — 
explain to them the nature of regeneration, and 
you will ascertain they know nothing of the 
subject. Press upon them the necessity of a 
change of heart, and describe their awfully ex- 
posed condition — tell them thou art the man, 
and in some instances they appear solemn and 
affected to tears. Where we leave Bibles with 
persons of this character, we obtain their sol- 
emn promise to read them with attention. The 
great mass of these people are fitly represented 
by Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones. Come, O 
breath, from the four winds, and breathe upon 
these slain, that they may live ! 

*' July 12. Have been conversing with some 
captains of vessels and others, in company with 

Mr. S , on the expediency of forming a 

Marine Bible Society, The prospect is favora- 
ble, Mr. S and myself have supplicated 



REV. SAMUEL 3. MILLS. 109 

the throne of grace for direction in this busi- 
ness. 

** Jul?/ 20. Conversed with Dr. F , of 

South Carolina, on the subject of an Institution 
for the purpose of educating the blacks. He is 
much in favor of the contemplated measures. 
Pie thinks if the way is not at present prepared 
for the introduction of teachers of color into the 
Southern States, it is fastly preparing. It is a 
common thing for the blacks to manifest a great 
desire to learn to read, and to hear the gospel 
preached. 

''Jiihj 21, Sabbath. Heard Dr. C , Mr. 

M , and Mr. S . My indisposition 

rather increases than abates. Perhaps the Lord 
has little more for me to do in this world. He 
has made me an instrument in his hand of doing 
some good ; but what have been the motives 
which have actuated me, are best known to 
himself. I many times fear I shall yet be dash- 
ed to pieces, as a vessel in which the Master 
has no pleasure. 

** July 23. Occupied part of the day in giv- 
ing out Bibles. My inquiries were made to-day 
in First street. Began at No. 1, and left off at 
100. Found twelve families destitute. I called 
at one house which had lately been afPiicted : 
the mother had lost a young child : it lay a 
corpse in the room. Her feelings were very 
tender. Upon conversing with her, I found 
that she did not think herself a Christian. Af- 
ter conversation, 1 inquired if she belon/^ed to 
10 



110 MEMOIR ©F 

any church ! She said she did not, nor had 
she been visited by any minister during the 
sickness of her child. I proposed praying with 
her, to which she assented. It was a solennn 
season. 

** I have lately received a letter from the Rev, 
Mr. Gloucester, of Philadelphia, a man of color. 
He states, that the Augustan Hall was opened 
on the first of June, for the purpose of giving 
the African youth a liberal education, at which 
time five very promising youths w^ere received. 
Others were waiting to enter the school as soon 
as support could be provided for them. He 
states, that a few people belonging to his church, 
have contributed to support these young men 
the first quarter, hoping that God would open 
the hearts and hands of the friends of these poor 
Africans, to aid in the great and good work." 

In this letter to Mr. Mills, Mr. Gloucester 
says, — *' O my worthy friend to our suffering 
race, for God's sake take up your pen, and ask 
the public on our behalf, if we shall turn away 
our promising sons from school at the close of 
the quarter, for the want of that help which he 
has put it in their power to give ? Or, shall we 
add to their number ? May all that pray,, ihi/ 
kingdom comt^ embrace this opportunity in im- 
parting their substance to aid this long-forgotten 
people. Please write soon, and advise what 
shall be done in this matter, which lies very 
near my heart." 

*' July 30. Requested Dr. G- to write to 



REY. SAMUEL J. MILLS. Ill 

Dr. R , expressing his sentiments on the 

importance of calling the attention of the mana- 
gers of the American Bible Society to an edi- 
tion of the Spanish Bible for South America. 

" Aug, — , Some time since I called at a 

house in street, and inquired of the 

woman if she had a Bible. She said, she had 
none, nor did she wish for one. I conversed 
with her seriously a little while on the impor- 
tance of having a Bible and reading it daily. 
She observed, it was not necessary for me to 
continue my 'preachment' any longer, for she 
would not receive a Bible. As I was leaving 
the house, her husband came in, and 1 addressed 
myself to him. He expressed the same senti- 
ments with his wife. Both appeared to be de- 
termined not to receive the Bible. 

** Aug. — . Called upon a sick woman in 
Market street. She appeared to be inquiring 
with some anxiety what she should do to be 
saved 1 She, Ijowever, had but very inadequate 
ideas of her sinfulness, and seemed to think 
that she v/as by no means the chief of sinners. 
I endeavored to show her her lost condition, and 
point her to Christ as the only way of reconcili- 
ation with God. 

** Aug. — . Mr. S and myself called 

to see the sick woman. She appeared to be 
much more deeply impressed with a sense of 
her ruined state without an interest in Christ. 
She said, she could not find any rest, but lay 
awake all the preceding night, praying to God 



112 MEMOIR OF 

that he would have mercy on her soul. We en* 
treated her to come to Christ without delay — to 
repent of her sins, and exercise faith in this Sa- 
viour noio. We supplied her with a Bible. She 
wished us to pray with her. It was a solemn 
time. 

" Aug. — . Mr. S called on this poor 

woman, and was led to hope she had become a 
child of God. 

'^ Aug. — . To-day called on about fifty 
families on the left side of Orange street. A 
third part of the whole number of families can- 
not read ! One. woman said she wanted none 
of my Bibles; and if I gave her one, she would 
burn it up.'^ 

As this period of Mr. Mills's residence in 
New York was a season of comparative leisure, 
it afforded him the opportunity of writing a 
number of letters to his particular friends. The 
following communication to the companion of 
his labors, on the last tour to the South and 
West, the Rev. Mr. Smith, of Natchez, devel- 
opes much of Mr. Mills's true character : — 

'' Neimrk, Jan. 6, 1816. 

*' DEAR BROTHER, 

*' I received your letter, dated October 19th, 
while at Torringford. I have heard nothing 
from you since. I conclude a kind Providence 
has preserved your life, and carried you to the 
desired haven. If so, you will feel, I doubt not^ 



m^T: SAMUEL J. MILLS. 113 

tliat you have more cause than ever to exclaim, 
Bless the Lord, O my soul ! The dangers we 
have passed together ought ever to keep alive in 
our hearts a spirit of gratitude to God, 

*' You say in your letter, * I go forward with 
a cheerful heart: I hope the Lord is with me.' 
It is always safe trusting in the Lord. We who 
have experienced so much of his kindness, 
ought surely not to be faithless, but believing. 
You have gone to a dark portion of our coun- 
try ; but we hope it is soon to b^ illuminated by 
the light of the everlasting gospel. Sooner or 
later it is to be a province of the Redeemer's 
kingdom ; and the sooner the seed is sown, the 
sooner shall we expect the harvest. Many 
prayers are offered up by the good people you 
have left behind, for your safety and success ; 
therefore be strong in the Lord. 

'^ I have hardly heard from the neighborhood 

of Boston since you left the city. Mr. E 

declined jyoincf on to New Orleans this season. 
1 should hope you would give that vacant peo- 
ple a part of your time. Revivals of religion 
have been experienced in a number of towns in 
Connecticut. In more or less the good work 
still continues. The Holy Spirit seems still to 

attend the labors of Mr. N in S , It 

is believed one hundred and forty persons have 
become subjects of the work. In Morristown 
and Springfield, in this State, there is much 
more than usual attention. 
10* 



114 MEMOIR OF 

" When you write to me, give me all the in- 
formation you can relative to the Western coun- 
try. The Report we made out of our Western 
tour I have the satisfaction to believe is highly 
approved ; so much so, that perhaps we may be 
in danger of becoming proud of it — but I hope 
not. There can be no doubt that it has been 
the means of interesting a great many persons 
of influence and wealth in favor of our destitute 
country ; and if those in the districts of country 
described do not feel themselves under any obli- 
gations to us now, they will at some future 
period. 

^* You say, you wish for my advice. As to 
this, I have not much to say. The word of 
God, your particular circumstances, and your 
past experience, must be your guide. I have 
thought it very desirable that you should make 
it a part of your business to aid in the distribu- 
tion of the Bibles which have been sent on to 
New Orleans. I received a letter in November 
last from Andover, informing me that a pious 
young man, and much devoted to the Missionary 
cause, had gone on to New Orleans for his 
health, and expected to spend the winter there ; 
and that he wished to be employed in the dis- 
tribution of Bibles and Testaments, in hopes of 
obtaining in this way part of his support. Per- 
haps you will find him of service to you in car- 
rying your plains into effect. Do not fail to 
write to him. I hope you will be able to obtain 



IIEV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 115 

soiiie contributions for the Bible societies, and 
that they will soon begin to purchase Bibles for 
themselves. 

** Might you not, in giving out the tracts, aid 
in the formation of tract societies in some of the 
most important places ? It is very much to be 
desired that the people should acquire the habit 
of supporting religious and charitable institu- 
tions. It seems desirable you should return to 
New England the next summer. You should 
delay entering on your tour a^ late as circum- 
stances will permit. Your services must be 
very much needed where you are. 

*' Looking into a newspaper lately, I observed 
a paragraph, which stated that a Spanish Minis- 
ter had arrived in New Orleans from Old Mex- 
ico. Would it not be a good thing to ascertain 
from him the state of that portion of the country, 
with a view of sending Bibles there, as soon as 
an opportunity shall present ? Do obtain all the 
information you can. Remember me affection- 
ately to my friends at Natchez. Let the good 
people at New Orleans know that I have not 
forgotten them. Pray for me, that I may be 
directed in the path of duty, and saved from 
injuring the cause I profess to love. 

'^ Your affectionate brother in the Lord, 

" SAMUEL J. MILLS. 

" Rev. Daniel Smith." 



116 MEMOIR OF 



CHAPTER VIIL 
His exertions in behalf of Africa, 

The darling object of Mr. Mills remains yet 
to be made known. It was that, in the prose- 
cution of which he found a w^atery grave. The 
civil, moral, and spiritual degradation of the 
children of Africa, both in this land of civiliza- 
tion and Christianity and their own native re- 
gions of darkness, lay with continual vv^eight 
upon his mind, and particularly after his first 
visit to the middle and southern States. Those 
to whom he unbosomed himself on this subject, 
could easily perceive that he was actuated by a 
power of feeling, and a confidence of faith, and 
a disinterestedness of desire, that prepared him 
to compass sea and land, to perform any labor, 
to endure any losses, to sustain any sacrifice in 
the prosecution of his design, and, if it were 
necessary, to die in the service of Africa. 

It ought to be remembered with deep self^ 
abasement, that the slave-trade has found the 
mass of its abettors among nations nominally 
Christian. According to the most judicious 



RtiV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 117 

calculations, Africa has been drained annually 
of one hundred and fifty thousand of its inhabit- 
ants. — And, let us not repress the shameful ac- 
knowledgment, *' the great receptacles of this 
unhappy race have been the West Indies and 
the United States." More than two millions 
are supposed to exist, at the present time, in our 
own free country ; and they are increasing with 
a ratio, that in sixty years will produce eight 
millions of these degraded, despised, oppressed 
beings; and to this accelerated progress there is 
no limit. 

To suppress the slave-trade, has been for 
many years an object of national policy with 
several governments, both in Europe and Ame- 
rica. It has been interdicted by solemn trea- 
ties : it has been proscribed and denounced by 
the most despotic and democratic governments ; 
while Great, Britain and the United States have 
exerted their naval force for its utter extermina- 
tion. Still it exists ; and not only exists, but 
flourishes nearly as much as ever, and with cir- 
cumstances of inhumanity no less infamous and 
appalling than in former years. The horrors of 
this barbarous traffic are absolutely indescriba- 
ble. From Its first commencement in treacher- 
ous wiles, to entrap its victims; or in the confla- 
gration of villages, to dispossess the unoffending 
inmates of their security, and of a home in the 
earth : from the severino; of their strongest 
natural ties, through all the merciless severity 
of their captors, the wretchedness of their float- 



118 MEMOIR OF 

ing prisons, the pestilential horrors of the middle 
passage, until they are consigned into helpless, 
hopeless bondage,— the slave-trade presents a 
vast, complicated system of cruelty, which no 
pencil can paint, or tongue tell, or imagination 
itself conceive. 

It is no uncommon thing, at the present day, 
to find good men and bad, nations and indi- 
viduals, uniting their protestations against the 
cruelties that have for ages been so wantonly 
inflicted on the African race. Since the estab- 
lishment of the colony of Sierra Leone, and the 
revolution in St. Domingo, it can no longer be 
made a question, that a brighter day is rising 
on this long neglected people. Few more ar- 
dently than Mr. Mills anticipated this glorious 
consummation. All his measures in behalf of 
this depressed race seem to have been adopted 
and pursued with a kind of supernatural assur- 
ajice, that the time was not far distant when the 
galling chains of African bondage should be 
broken, and, under the mild reign of the Prince 
of Peace, Ethiopia should be lifted from her de- 
generacy, and ** stretch out her hands unto 
God." 

With the piety of the Christian, and the wis- 
dom of the statesman, he early suggested, as 
one of the means of accelerating this work of 
benevolence, the establishment o^ a school, to 
qualify young men of color for preachers and 
teachers to the African race. While he was 
lingering in New York and New Jersey, in the 



RET. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 119 

summer and autumn of 1816, be suggested and 
matured this plan. In his itinerations through 
the States, he had been preparing the minds of 
many gentlemen of influence to favor such an 
estabbshment, and had received from them so 
much encouragement, that he was heard to say, 
that if only a treasury was opened at the north, 
it would be filled from the slave-holdinij States. 
Arrangements were made to bring the subject 
before the Synod of New York and New Jersey, 
at their annual meeting in Octpber, 1816. It 
was suggested to him to write to his friends in 
the different States on the subject ; and before 
the session of the Synod, a large number of 
answers had been received, containing many 
interesting facts in favor of the establishment. 
The matter was brought before the Synod. A 
committee was appointed to examine the sub- 
ject ; some of whom, when they went out, re- 
garded the project as visionary and impractica- 
ble. But the extracts from these letters of Mr. 
Mills's correspondents overruled every feeling 
of opposition, and secured perfect unanimity in 
the committee, and subsequently in the Synod, 
who at the same session adopted a system of 
regulations, and formed the plan of the school. 

In a narrative of the state of religion within 
their bounds for the year 1819, the Synod say 
of this seminary, that " they would gratefully 
recount the fostering mercies of Providence 
upon that institution of their own efforts and 



120 MEMOIR OP 

prayers, the African school. Since the last 
report, four additional pupils have been admit- 
ted, making seven in all, whose deportment and 
proficiency have been such as to warrant the 
past expenditures of their patrons, and animate 
them to present hope and perseverance in this 
cause of Christian philanthropy ; in the consum- 
mation of which, according to the tenor of 
prophecy, the destinies of Africa are to be ele- 
vated, and her sons introduced to the dignities 
and heirship of the children of God.'' The 
agency of Mr. Mills in giving existence to this 
institution, is very affectionately acknowledged 
by the Directors, in their Report to the Synod 
in the year 1818, soon after the tidings of his 
decease. The extract is as follows: — *^ But 
while the Board refer to these encouraging 
events, they cannot pass over one which has 
filled them and many of the friends of Zion 
with sorrow. They allude to the death of him 
to whom,^ though his modest and retiring nature 
concealed his agency from the world, the praise 
really belongs of originating the African school, 
as well as several other institutions, which rank 
among the most important and beneficial in our 
country. The name of Samuel J. Mills, who 
died in the service of Africa, ought to be known 
to the churches, and to be had in grateful re- 
membrance, while worth is honored, and hum- 
ble, disinterested, laborious piety is beloved. 
For a mind teeming with plans to extend the 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 121 

Redeemer's kingdom, wholly devoted to that 
single object, and incessantly engaged to rouse 
others to the same spirit, they fear they shall not 
soon look upon his like again. When Africa 
has lost such a friend, her helpless and wretched 
state is more than ever to be pitied. Who will 
catch his falling mantle, and rise up to plead 
the cause of a poor outcast race^?" 

Soon after the organization of the Board, Mr. 
Mills accepted an appointment as their agent, to 
solicit donations in the middle Spates. He had 
at the same time a commission from the Foreign 
Mission School in Connecticut. The following 
letter to a friend in New York, was written 
during his absence on this tour : — 

''Philadelphia, July 15, 1817. 

*' DEAR BROTHER, 

" I arrived in this place yesterday from Balti- 
more. 1 collected for the Mission School, while 
in the State of Virginia, about fifteen hundred 
dollars. I received at Baltimore, and two or 
three other places in Maryland, for the African 
School, about eight hundred dollars. 

" I wish you to inquire whether Paul Cuffee 
is in New York. About a week ago his vessel 
arrived there from Port-au-Prince : she is called 
the brig Traveller, Seabury, captain. 1 wish 
you to inform me immediately, if he is in the 
city. Do not neglect this request. Brother 

C left Baltimore last Monday. He obtain- 

11 



122 MEMOIR OF 

ed at that place between seven and eight hun- 
dred dollars, for the Cherokee schools. 
** Your friend and brother, 

'' SAMUEL J. MILLS. 
<^ Rev. W- S ." 

In the above communication, Mr. Mills men- 
tions a name which he never repeated without 
delight. Paul Cuffee was a distinguished or- 
nament to the African race. He was a native 
of one of the Elizabeth Islands, near l^ew Bed- 
ford ; and though educated in all the obscurity 
and penury of the great body of men of color, 
rose to affluence, respectability, and distinction, 
by the energy of a mind that was equal to the 
noblest enterprize, and the benevolence of a 
heart singularly devoted to doing good. Lon^ 
will the sympathies of Paul be remembered in 
behalf of degenerate Africa. No cause lay 
nearer his heart than the intellectual, civil, and 
moral elevation of that injured people. To ad- 
vance this cause, he undertook, at his own ex- 
pense, and in his own vessel, an expedition to 
the British settlement at Sierra Leone. He went 
to England for the purpose of suggesting his 
views to the Managers of the African Institu- 
tion ; and, after his return, made a second 
voyage to Sierra Leone, carrying with him about 
40 persons of his own color, with the view of 
commencing a settlement on the soil of his 
forefathers, having expended in this enterprize 
nearly $4,000 from his own private resources. 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. , 123 

He died at Westport in Massachusetts, on the 
7th of September, 1817, in the 59th year of his 
age, and in his life and death gave good evi- 
dence of genuine piety. With Mr. Mills's at- 
tachment to the African cause, it could not be 
otherwise than that he should be ardently at- 
tached to Paul. There were few men in whom 
he placed greater confidence, or who had more 
intimate access to the secrets of his bosom in 
relation to his purposes of benevolence towards 
the inhabitants of Africa. With what earnest- 
ness he flew to his bed-side, thbugh he was at 
a distance from him of nearly a hundred miles, 
that he might have the privilege of being with 
him in his last sickness, and maturinor some 
favored project for his unhappy countrymen, 
will be long remembered. 

No apology is needed for here introducing a 
communication of the same date with the last, 
to a friend in Andover, who had been appointed 
an Agent of the African Board : — 

'' Philadelpliia, July l^th, 1817. 

** MY DEAR FRIEND AND BROTHER, 

** I parted with Mr. C last week at Balti- 
more. He informed me that you had been 
appointed an agent to solicit for the African 
School. I do not know that you could be en- 
gaged in the promotion of a more important 
object. There are, as you know, more than a 
million and a half of people of color in the 
United States and Territories, the greater part 



u 



124 MEMOIR OF 

of whom are ignorant and vicious. More or 
less of the slave-holders soberly maintain that 
they have no souls ; and we might conclude, 
that the Christian public were of the same 
opinion, were we to judge of the trifling efforts 
they have made to improve their moral and 
religious character. It has been, and still is, 
the hard lot of multitudes of these people to 
be chained to tasks, and to have their labor 
required of them with stripes, that a man of 
common feeling would weep to see inflicted on 
a brute. And to complete the climax of their 
sufferings, the church has withheld the only 
cup of consolation which could alleviate their 
sorrows — the hope of heaven, derived from the 
gospel. It is true, that in the course of two or 
three years past, the religious public have begun 
to turn their attention to this class of their suf- 
fering brethren. Sunday schools have been 
established to teach them to read their Bibles ; 
and these schools extend from Raleigh, North 
Carolina, to Portland, in the district of Maine. 
Still, comparatively little is doing, when we 
consider how long our duty has been neglected, 
and how much remains to be done. Hitherto, 
the Presbyterian and Congregational churches 
have made less exertion in behalf of this class 
of the community than most other religious 
societies. The Methodists have in their con- 
nexion many men of color, who are preachers, 
and who in some instances preach to large con- 
gregations. The same may be said of the Bap- 



n.nV> SAMtJEL J. MtLLS. 125 

lists. I know of but one or tvvo Presbyterian 
churches formed of these people in the United 
States. I'he Rev. Mr. Gloucester, a very res- 
pectable man, and a member of the Presbytery 
of Philadelphia^ was in Albany last fall, and 
was of the opinion that a congregation might be 
formed in that city from among these people, if 
a proper person could be found to collect them. 
A citizen of that place offered to give him fifty 
dollars a year, as his subscription, if he would 
stay there and use his exertions to form a church; 
but no person could be found to Supply his place. 
The Board of Managers of the African School 
have thought of requesting Mr. Gloucester to 
go to England, to make collections for that in- 
stitution. JSut it is not likely a person could be 
found properly qualified to supply his place in 
America. 

** I collected in the course of the last winter 
about eight hundred dollars for this seminary. 
This sum was received principally from Balti- 
more and Washington. It was a very unpro- 
pitious time to attempt collections. I had 
sometimes to thrust my subscription paper over 
the heads^ of half a dozen miserable beggars; 
and still I was generally successful. I received 
considerable aid from slave-holders. I informed 
the persons on whom I called, that the object 
of the school was to qualify young men of color 
for teachers of schools and preachers of the 
gospel, in hope of exerting an influence in cor- 
recting the morals and manners of their brethren 
11* 



126 MEMOIR OF 

in our cities and large towns ; and also to raise 
up teachers for these people, should an effort be 
made to settle them by themselves, either in 
this country or abroad. Some gave to aid the 
school as an auxiliary to the colonization effort, 
who would not have given, had not that view 
been presented. I am confident that the people 
of color now in this country, that is, many of 
them, will be settled by themselves, either in 
this country or abroad. The teachers who may 
be raised up, will promote this object. Whether 
they remain in this country or not, much must 
be done to qualify them for living in society 
by themselves. 

*^ I have intimated, that in my opinion, great 
guilt has been incurred by the religious public, 
on account of their neglect of this class of the 
community. This guilt has been incurred, not 
only by the slave-holders, and Christians in the 
Middle and Southern States, but the people of 
New England have the neglect of their talents 
and opportunities for benefiting these people to 
answer for. Had Sunday schools and free 
schools been established many years ago, the 
example w^ould have been soon followed here. 
Had teachers of schools and preachers of the 
gospel been raised up, as is now proposed, they 
would have found a wide field for usefulness. 
But let us rejoice in what has of late been at- 
tempted, and endeavor to increase exertions in 
every possible way. Perhaps it would be well 
for you to have the names of some of the con- 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 127 

tributors to the school, that are on my book. 
We should give all religious denominations a 
chance to assist us. I have preached in all the 
pulpits 1 could gain access to, and stated my 
object. In your sermons or addresses state 
facts. Facts will always produce an effect, at 
least on pious minds. You can easily possess 
yourself of facts, the bare recital of which w^ill 
make the heart bleed. If you are not already 
possessed of facts of this character, I can fur- 
nish you. These facts must be proclaimed in 
the ears of the people, that they Mnay be induced 
to send the hope of the gospel to the expiring 
and despairing slave, as well as to the debased 
and miserable free black. Teachers of the 
character we wish to raise up, I am informed, 
are w^anted in Natchez and New Orleans, and 
might probably be greatly useful. It is true, 
there are some parts of the Southern States 
where they could not at present be introduced 
with safety ; but the field is altogether greater 
than can be occupied for years, vv^ith all our ac- 
tivity and exertion. I hope to hear from you. 
** Yours affectionately, 

*^ SAMUEL J. MILLS. 
« Mr. E V/ 11 ." 

The remark has been frequently made, and 
has been repeated in the preceding pages, that 
a new era in the moral condition of mankind 
commenced about six and thirty years ago. 
The question has been started, '* Is there any 



128 MEMOIR OF 

thing in Providence which denotes that the re- 
lief and elevation of the African race belong to 
this new order of things V The reply has 
been, unequivocally, there is ; and the evidence 
is truly astonishing. *' Precisely at the com- 
mencement of the new era," says the same able 
writer, '* this work began on a grand scale in 
different parts of the world, and has kept pace 
with the other series of events ever since. The 
new era was ushered in by two great occur- 
rences deeply affecting the negro world, and 
presaging their deliverance ; one full of hope to 
those who desire their salvation ; the other full 
of terror to those who oppress them. I allude 
to the establishment of a colony at Sierra Leone, 
and the revolution in St. Domingo. The for- 
mer was intended as a 4SQJ^ through which 
Christianity and civilization should be conveyed 
into the heart of Africa ; the latter threw upon 
the world two organized and independent states 
of negroes, a sight never before witnessed, and 
that too by an awful eruption in the centre of 
that part of the world which is most deeply laden 
with sins against Africa. This revolution com- 
menced in 1791 ; the colony of Sierra Leone 
was fully established in 1792. An unsuccessful 
beginning had been made five or six years be- 
fore ; but in 1791 a company was incorporated 
upon new and better principles, and in 1792 
the colony was confirmed by more than a thou- 
sand blacks transported from Nova Scotia." 
While these efforts have been silently pro- 



kEV. SAMUtlL J. MILLS. 120 

gres^ing in other parts of the world, America, 
besides whom no nation under heaven is so 
deeply laden with obligations to the African 
race, or that has so many facilities to accom- 
plish their restoration^ has been, I had almost 
said, utterly indifferent to the work. Some few 
exertions have been made in New England, and 
more in the cities of New York and Philadel- 
phia ; but the public attention had never been 
awake to the important subject, till the forma- 
tion of the American Colonization Society, at 
the seat of our government, in December, 1816. 
If there was one object to which Mr. Mills con- 
sidered himself chiefly devoted, it was the inte- 
rest and success of this society. For more than 
two years before his death, his thoughts began 
to be turned toward the formation of such a so- 
ciety. Wherever he went, this object was kept 
in view ; and the hope of doing something to 
promote it, was one of the reasons which in- 
duced him to take the tour of the States. 
While in the southern States, he was collecting 
facts respecting the condition of *Miis poor Afri- 
can brethren," as he used to call them, and 
with his characteristic discrimination, convers- 
ing with such persons as he found prepared to 
entertain his views. In the western States he 
was endeavoring to arouse the attention of the 
charitable and influential to the importance of 
the object, because he conceived that their 
weight in the councils of the nation^ and their 
pecuniary aid, might be afterwards wanted. In 



130 MEMOIR OF 

Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, he labored much to 
procure the grant of a township of land, on 
which a small colony might be established, both 
for the purpose of making the experiment, and 
evincing the utility of such attempts, and more 
particularly, to prepare a number of persons to 
take the lead in some more enlarged establish- 
ment west of the Mississippi, or on the coast of 
Africa ; and in the large cities, he was accus- 
tomed to converse much with individuals, and 
with small assemblies of the most respectable 
free people of color, to engage them to stand 
ready to embark in the first feasible design that 
might offer. 

The formation of a Society, with a view to 
colonize the free people of color belonging to 
the United States, is a subject toward which the 
attention of some of the first men in our country 
has for years been directed with painful anxiety. 
As early as December, 1816, the General As- 
sembly of the State of Virginia passed a resolu- 
tion requesting the Governor of that State to 
correspond with the President of the United 
States, for the purpose of obtaining a territory 
upon the coast of Africa, to serve as an asylum 
for such persons of color as ha^i been, or might 
be emancipated by the laws of that Common- 
wealth. There was a failure in this negotiation, 
and the subject, with increased interest and re- 
doubled responsibility, was thrown back upon the 
exertions of individuals and associations of men 
voluntarily combining their efforts in this lauda- 



RET. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 131 

ble work. Through the unwearied assiduity of 
a number of gentlemen, among whom justice 
requires us to mention the names of Ellas B. 
Caldwell, Esq., of the city of Washington, and 
the Rev. Dr. Finley, late of Baskingridge, in 
the State of New Jersey, the interest which had 
been felt in this enterprize was revived. To- 
ward the close of the year 1810, Mr. Mills was 
providentially made acquainted with the plan, 
and had an opportunity of affording it essential 
service. He left New York the latter part of 
November, where, accidentally" hearing of the 
movements at Washington, he repaired to that 
city. He arrived in lime to attend a meeting, 
which had been appointed at the house of Mr. 
Caldwell, for the purpose of imploring the di- 
vine direction, on the evening of the following 
day, when the expediency of forming a Coloni- 
zation Society was to be publicly discussed. 
That meeting he attended, as well as the final 
meeting on the twenty eighth of December, 
1816, when the Colonization Society was form- 
ed—a joyful day to Mr. Mills, and a jubilee to 
the sons and daughters of neglected Africa. 

Soon after the formation of the Society, much 
began to be said publicly in favor of the attempt 
to send the free people of color to the western 
coast of Africa. That same year the society 
presented a memorial to Congress, requesting 
that they would take measures to effect this ob- 
ject. This memorial was referred to a select 
committee, who reported at length and in a very 



132 MEMOIR OP 

able manner, in favor of the views of the soci- 
ety. Owing to the pressure of business, Con- 
gress however did not decide on the report, but 
left it to have its salutary influence on the public 
mind, without any immediate legislative inter- 
ference, while the society felt no small encour- 
agement to go forward in their benevolent pur- 
pose. 

In the commencement of their operations, no 
small degree of embarrassment was felt through 
want of information as to the most eligible places 
for the establishment of a colony. With a vievir 
to obviate this embarrassment, it was resolved 
to commission persons of suitable qualifications 
to explore the western coast of Africa. This 
commission, replete as it was with responsibility, 
was put into the hands of Mr. Mills. No sooner 
had he accepted it, than he saw the importance 
of having a colleague to share the burden with 
him in this arduous mission. As the funds of 
the society would not then allow of this appoint- 
ment, Mr. Mills was employed in the formation 
of Auxiliary Societies in several of the large 
cities, till the Board felt warranted to incur the 
additional expense, and gave Mr. Mills the 
privilege of selecting his own companion on the 
tour. His thoughts were at once directed to a 
man of kindred spirit, who, to eminent qualifi- 
cations for the service, added the one, that he 
was known to be the friend of Africa. The 
following letter, addressed to the Rev. Ebenezer 
Buroress, late Professor of Mathematics and 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 133 

Natural Philosophy in Burlington College, now 
minister of the gospel in Dedham, Massachu- 
setts, as it presents the object of the agency and 
the character of both these gentlemen in so just 
a light, will be read with interest : — 

'' Philadelphia, July 30, 1817. 

" BROTHER BURGESS, 

** I wrote you last winter from the city of 
Washington. I sent on to you also a pamphlet 
containing an account of exertions made for the 
purpose of colonizing the free {People of color. 
The Hon. Judge Washington is the President 
of the American Colonization Society. Other 
gentlemen belonging to the Board are very 
respectable characters. It is their wish to em- 
ploy two men as agents, to go to England, and 
thence to Africa, to Sierra Leone, and to some 
other places adjacent to that settlement, for the 
purpose of obtaining information to lay before 
Congress at their next session, or the succeed- 
ing one, which shall enable the General Govern- 
ment to act definitely, and with decision, in aid 
of their object. Should the information which 
may be obtained in England and Africa be fa- 
vorable, they expect that Congress will send a 
national vessel, with the proper persons, to Afri- 
ca, to ascertain what parts of the west coast of 
that continent would be best calculated for the 
free people of color ; and also to make purchases 
of the natives, and open negotiations with the 
European government who now claim territory 
12 



134 MEMOIR OF 

on the coast. The Board of Managers will 
likewise exert all their influence with Congress 
to put an entire stop to the slave-trade, at least 
as far as Americans are enoraored in this traffic. 

o o 

They wish their agents to obtain for them all 
the information they can on this subject, both 
in England and Africa. Whatever information 
shall be obtained, calculated to induce our gov- 
ernment to take measures to suppress this traffic, 
will be presented to Congress by the Board. 
The Board have received a letter from Thomas 
Clarkson, (England,) expressing his satisfaction 
with their measures, and recommending the 
country called Sherbro, 50 leagues down the 

j coast from Sierra Leone, as a very proper place 
for a colony. It is his opinion that that part of 
the coast does not fall within the limits of any 
\ European government, and may be purchased 
of the natives. He states the soil to be rich, 
the water good, and the natives friendly. He 
further observes, that the native tribes are bro- 
ken into small elective governments, and could 
not, if they were disposed, do any great harm to 
a colony established on a proper scale. There 
are frequent communications between Sierra 
Leone and Sherbro ; and more or less of the 
settlers at the former place speak the language 
of the natives of Sherbro, and are on friendly 
terms with them. Paul CufFee has been re- 

{ quested by some of the citizens of Sierra Leone 
to commence a colony at Sherbro. He only 
wants the aid of our government to enable him 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 135 

to do this. Paul wrote to me last January, that 
it was his opinion that more than half of the 
people of color in Boston and the vicinity would 
embrace the first opportunity to go out to Africa. 
More or less of the leading characters among 
these people in this city and Baltimore, are 
much pleased with the measures which are now 
taking to provide for them and theirs a settle- 
ment on the coast of Africa. It is well ascer- 
tained that many of the slave-holders will release 
their slaves, if a place can be^ provided where 
these people may be settled by themselves, with 
a prospect of living comfortably. I yesterday 
received a letter from Mr. Caldwell, Secretary 
of the Board at Washino^ton, informinor me that 
it was ascertained that our minister at London, 
who is to take the place of Mr. Adams, is a 
decided advocate for the measures proposed by 
the Board. Auxiliary Colonization Societies 
are forming in different places ; and it seems as 
if the nation were coming up to aid this effort. 
It is a noble effort. 

" I have been appointed by the Board as their 
agent in this noble expedition ; and I am re- 
quested by them, if possible, to find a person 
who will engage in this Mission with me. Will 
you go, brother Burgess 1 It is impossible to 
tell the precise time the agents would be occu- 
pied on the mission. They would have exten- 
sive discretionary powers. They must be absent 
probably one or two years. They would leave 
this country on the first of October next for 



136 MEMOIR OF 

England, on board the vessel which is to carry 
the American Minister to London. They would 
remain in England two or three months, proba- 
bly, before they sail for Africa. Circumstances 
would determine how long they would remain 
on the coast. They would return by the way 
of England to America, or directly to America, 
as should seem expedient. All the expenses of 
the agents would be borne, and a suitable com- 
pensation for their services. I have not stipula- 
ted with the Boaid as to the precise sum. 

** My brother, can we engage in a nobler 
effort ? We go to make freemen of slaves. We 
go to lay the foundation of a free and indepen- 
dent empire on the coast of poor degraded Afri- 
ca. It is confidently believed by many of our 
best and wisest men, that, if the plan proposed 
succeeds, it will ultimately be the means of ex- 
terminating slavery in our country. It will 
eventually redeem and emancipate a million and 
an half of wretched men. It will transfer to the 
coast of Africa the blessings of reliction and 
civilization ; and Ethiopia will soon stretch out 
her hands unto God. 

** My dear brother, your attention has, in the 
course of Divine Providence, been called to con- 
sider the debased and degraded state of the 
descendants of Africa, You have already made 
some exertions in their behalf. Is not God 
calling upon you to do still more ? You have 
some qualifications for the service proposed. 
Your knowledge of the Spanish language may 



REV. SAMUtJL J. MILLS. 137 

enable you to perform more important services. 
The information you have already obtained on 
the subject under consideration, qualities you to 
be eminently useful on the AJission. On receiv- 
ing this, direct a letter to New York. I shall 
be in Hartford, Con. by the loth of August, and 
in Boston by the last Wednesday in August. I 
shall return from Boston to Hartford and Tor- 
ringford, and there probably remain till the 
middle of September. In one of these places 
let me hear from you^and as ea^ly as possible. 
** Your affectionate brother, 

'^ SAMUEL J. MILLS. 
*^ Mr. Ebenezer Burgess." 

This was an appeal which it was difficult for 
such a man as Mr. Burgess to resist. Though 
the responsibility of such an agency awakened 
much solicitude, the objects and probable con- 
sequences of it awakened his benevolence and 
filled his mind ; and he was- pleased to signify 
his acceptance of the appointment in a letter to 
Mr. Mills, bearing date the 31st of August, 1817. 

The instructions of these gentlemen, from the 
Colonization Society, were of a very general 
nature. The agents were directed to embark 
for London ; upon their arrival there, to obtain 
all the information in their power relative to the 
west coast of Africa; to obtain letters of intro- 
duction to the Governor of the Sierra Leone 
colony, and other gentlemen ; from London to 
proceed to the coast of Africa, and make Sierra 
12* 



138 MEMOIR OP 

Leone their principal station while on the coast ; 
to visit the coast as extensively as possible ; to 
consult with the natives, and especially the 
chiefs, and ascertain whether an eligible spot 
can be found, which may be purchased at a fair 
price for the purposes of the colony. 

Arrano^ements were made for them to sail in 
the ship Electra, a merchant's vessel bound 
from Philadelphia to London. Just before his 
embarkation Mr. Mills wrote the two following 
letters to his father : — 

'' Philadelphia, Oct, 24, 1817. 

'^ REV. AND DEAR FATHER, 

** While at New York, I received a letter 
from the Secretary of the Colonization Society, 
requesting me immediately to repair to the city 
of Washington. I am now on my way. The 
letter informed me that it was expected 1 should 
sail in the Franklin 74, which is to convey the 
American Minister to London, and will sail in 
ten or twelve days. The letter stated that the 
Board would engage Mr. Burgess as the second 
agent, if the funds would permit. A meeting is 
to be held in New York to-day, for the forma- 
tion of a Colonization Society, auxiliary to the 
American Society, and exertions will be made 
there to aid the Board. Further exertions will 
be made in Philadelphia. I think Mr. Burgess 
will be appointed. If the Board should not 
have funds at this time to engage two agents, I 
shall use my efforts to have him to go out in the 



REV> SAMUKL J. MILLS. 139 

Ftiinkliii, and remain in this counti'y a few 
v/eeks nnyself, until the funds are provided, and 
then improve the first opportunity of going to 
London to meet him. I intend to have a com- 
panion on the mission, and it is not likely I 
could find a better than Mr. Burgess in the 
United States. 

** You know, Sir, that for years past, I liave 
felt an earnest desire to meliora.te the condition 
of the people of color in the United States. 
The iiope of aiding in some j^lan lo effect this 
object, was one reason which induced me to 
make the tour of the States; and though I re- 
turned from the second Mission without seeing 
any plan in operation, vvhich would give a pros- 
pect of relief, still I had obtained much useful 
information, which was calculated to enable me 
to judge of future plans which might be pre- 
sented. 

** When I left home last October for the 
South, I left, as I always have since I have been 
a minister of the gospel, with a mind ready to 
embrace any benevolent object which should 
present, and which should seem lo demand my 
attention. Though I had certain objects par- 
ticularly in view, still I did not consider myself 
obliged to give them my undivided attention. 
When I arrived in New York last November, I 
was informed that the subject of colonizing tb.e 
free people of color was to be agitated at Wash- 
ington. I left New York as soon as possible, and 
went on rapidly through Philadelphia and Baiti- 



140 MEMOin OF 

more to that city. Immediately upon my arri- 
val there, I called upon Mr. Elias B. Caldwell, 
with vvhom I was acquainted. He informed me 
that there would be a prayer meeting at his 
house that evening, for tlie special purpose of 
*j seek ins: the divine blessino; on a meetinor which 
\. wa^ to be held on the evening of the succeeding 
day, to consider the expediency of forming a 
Colonization Society. He likewise made me ac- 
quainted with the plan proposed, which marked 
out the west coast of Africa as the place for the 
colony. You will readily conceive that my first 
impression was favorable, fi-om the circumstance 
that a prayer meeting preceded the discussion. 
I attended the several meetings, and gave all the 
aid I could. A part of my time was occupied 
in making collections for the African school, 
writing to Paul Cuffee for information, &c. 
The latter part of February I proposed to cer- 
tain gentlemen the propriety of collecting and 
printing, in a pamphlet form, a view of the ex- 
ertions which had been made, comprising the 
Constitution of the Society, the Memorial to 
Congress, &c. They readily acceded to it, and 
wished me to collect the facts, while they en- 
gaged it should be printed at the expense of the 
Society. This was done, and the pamphlet was 
distributed to the members of Congress, and 
likewise sent to different gentlemen residing in 
the several States and Territories. 

*' The latter part of March, partly for the 
purpose of keeping up the excitement which 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 141 

had been produced in favor of the colonization 
plan, I addressed a letter to the President of 
the Board of Managers, the Hon. Judge Wash- 
ington, with whom I had a slight acquaintance, 
informing him that I would engage as the Agent 
of the Board, and visit England and Africa, 
should it be thought best to send one out. The 
Board at that time had no funds, and it was not 
my expectation that they could employ two men. 
This offer on my part led to the publishing of 
aa address to the people of the \ United States, 
requesting the assistance of those who were dis- 
posed to favor the measure. The latter part of 
March I left Washington, and spent about three 
months in Virginia. On my return, I found but 
li\tle progress had been made in collecting funds. 
Tiie Committee of the Board requested me to 
act as their Agent, at Baltimore, Philadelphia, 
and New York. They addressed letters to the 
Vice Presidents of the Board residing in these 
cities, urging the formation of Auxiliary Socie- 
ties. A Society has been formed at Baltimore, 
and another at Philadelphia. I suppose one is 
formed this day in New York. I think the ne- 
cessary funds will be provided. 

'* This is a brief outline of the progress of 
exertions thus far. We cannot see what will 
be the result of the Mission, and we ou^ht not 
to be over anxious. I never engaged in an 
object before, whicii laid me under so vast a 
responsibility. I have entered upon it with no 
ordinary degree of trembling, though I have 



142 MEMOIR OF 

generally been satisfied with respect to what is 
my duty. The object is, I think, a noble one ; 
and we have reason to hope it will be approved 
by God. On his approbation it must rely for 
success. 

** You will perceive, dear sir, how much I 
need the prayers of pious friends, and of the 
church. I hope you will live many years to 
pray for your affectionate son, and for Zion.— 
And may we and those we love, love Zion and 
Zion's Kincr ; and then we shall be sure to meet 
again, if not in this world, in a better. 
" Your affectionate son, 

'' SAMUEL J. MILLS.'' 

The following is his last communication be- 
fore he left his native land : — 

** Philadelphia, November 15, 1S17. 

" REVEREND AND DEAR FATHER, 

** Mr. Burgess and myself have engaged our 
passage on board a ship called the Electra, 
which is to sail to-morrow for London. Our 
baggage is in part already on board. We are 
pleased with the present arrangement. We no 
doubt shall have a more pleasant time on board 
a private ship than we could expect in the 
Franklin. There are to be only seven cabin 
passengers, and, as far as I can learn, they will 
be agreeable companions. Should the season 
be favorable, we expect to arrive in London in 
about thirty days. 



REV, SAMUEL J. MILLS. 143 

** We have letters of introduction to many 
gentlemen of respectability — quite as many as 
we shall find time to deliver. Our prospects 
are at present fair, but we know not what a 
day may bring forth. God moves in a mysteri- 
ous way, in bringing about his great and glori- 
ous designs. He sometimes puts our faith to a 
severe test. When his church are about to 
make some great effort for the promotion of his 
glory and the salvation of men, he not unfre- 
quently removes som.e of the (nost prominent 
and apparently m.ost important aids, lest vain 
man should glory in himself, and not in the 
Lord. I hope we shall always be prepared to 
say, the will of the Lord be done. I have been 
much with strangers ; but the Lord has always 
provided and raised up friends for me, and 1 
doubt not he will continue to do so. My com- 
panion and myself engage in this Mission with 
perfect cheerfulness. I hope we feel that un- 
less the Lord is with us, all is in vain. If the 
colonization plan be of God, sooner or later it 
will prosper: if not approved by Him, let it fail 

*' I shall write fromi London if I arrive there, 
and shall hope to receive letters from home soon 
after my arrival. I know I shall have an inte- 
rest in your prayers, and those of my brother 
and sisters. I hope to be remembered at the 
throne of grace by many other friends. 
** I am your affectionate son, 

'' SAMUEL L MILLS/^ 



144 MEMOIR OF 

Mr. Mills left America on the 16th of Novem- 
ber, 1817, and after a short and perilous voyatre, 
arrived in England late in December. ** We 
little thought," said the afflicted father, *^ when 
my son left us to sail for Africa, that we should 
see him no more. We recollect distinctly his 
apparent composure on the day he left us. Af- 
ter he had taken his seat in the carriage, he 
observed to me, the God that hath preserved me 
from the paio of the hear, alluding to the dan- 
gers of his former mission, may protect me from 
the paw of the lion. It appeared that he en- 
joyed peculiar peace of mind, committing him- 
self entirely to the guidance and protection of 
the Almighty, in view of the perils of the under- 
taking." — Perils there were ; but he who gov- 
erns the world, for the sake of the church, is not 
unmindful of the dangers of his people. What 
befel them on their voyage will be disclosed by 
the following letter : — 

^^ November 26, 1817. On board the Electra, 
long. 43, lat. 41. 

** DEAR AND HONORED FATHER, 

** I wrote you last on the 15th, the day we 
left Philadelphia, to embark on board the Elec- 
tra, which was lying at Newcastle. We went 
on board the 16th, and left the Capes and pro- 
ceeded to sea the same evening. We have a 
very good ship, and but six cabin passengers. 
Captain Williams is a very worthy man : he 



REV. SAMUEL J. M[LLS. 145 

does all he can to render our voyage comforta- 
ble and pleasant, 

" Since we have recovered from our sea-sick- 
ness we have attended evening prayers, and the 
way is always open for religious conversation. 
The captain does not permit profane language, 
excessive drinking, nor any species of gambling, 
on board the ship. We have now been at sea 
ten days, and have had an unusually prosperous 
voyage thus far. We hope to be in the English 
channel in a little more than a ^week from the 
present time. The weather has not been pleas- 
ant since we left the Capes, but the wind has 
generally been favorable. Some days have been 
squally — occasionally a good deal of lightning. 
Once we conceived ourselves in some danofer 
from a water-spout. This alarming phenomie- 
non, in some instances, does great damage to 
vessels at sea. A large quantity of water is 
raised to a considerable height in the atmos- 
phere, and suddenly falls on the deck of a ship 
with such a force as to sink her at once. I do 
not know, however, that accidents of this kind 
occur in so northern a latitude. 

** I think it a very happy circumstance that we 
took our passage in a private ship : we have no 
reason to think we could have enjoyed the peace 
and quiet on board the Franklin that we do 
here. 

'* December 5th, at sea : Friday evening. 
This evening we found soundings, and are in 
13 



146 RIEMOIR OF 

the English channel. Oar passage has been 
rapid thus far. 

** Dec, lltJi, on hoard the Electra : ]iarho7^ of 
St. Malo, in France. You will not expect to 
hear of my being at this time in France. A 
wonderful dispensation of Divine Providence 
has brought us here. 

** On Sabbath evening, the 7th, we encoun- 
tered a severe gale, and all the ship's crew were 
ordered on deck. The wind continued to bh^w 
with great violence, until 4 o'clock Monday 
afternoon, when the captain despaired of saving 
the ship. He ordered her masts to be cut away, 
and her deck to be cleared, and informed us 
that he had done ail he could for us. He main- 
tained his position on deck with surprising com- 
posure and fortitude, until about 3, P. M., though 
perfectly wet and dashed by almost every wave. 
At our earnest request, he consented to step 
below to exchange his clothes ; but in a mo- 
ment the mate whispered to him to come on 
deck. The breakers were seen directly astern. 
We came near a ledge of rocks, the sea dashing 
against them with great violence, and the foam- 
ing surf rising far above their summit, while the 
ship was all the while drifting directly towards 
the ledge. The captain was heard to say, 
* We are gone for this world 1' Utterly des- 
pairing of safety on board the ship, he took his 
two sons, one about 14, and the other about 12 
years of age, together with one of the most 
active sailors, stepped into the boat astern, cut 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 147 

the cordage, and she fell off. In her fall the 
boat overset, and the youngest son was washed 
away, while the others adhered to the keel. 
The next sea rio^hted the boat, half filled with 
water, and three succeeded in getting into it. 
We traced them as the boat rose on the summit 
of a few recedino[ waves, and saw them no 
more ! — The ship was driving directly towards 
a line of rocks, which extended both ways fur- 
ther than the eye could then distinguish, and 
dashed the waves like clouds irjto the air. Al- 
though Mr. B. had scarcely been on deck the 
whole day, yet in this crisis, when all was con- 
sternation, and death was believed to be/ our 
inevitable destiny within a few minutes, he went 
upon deck to compose the minds of our ship- 
mates, who crowded around him to be com- 
mended to the mercy of God. At the same 
time, a few fellow-passengers were kneeling in 
fervent prayer in the cabin. As we approached 
the rocks within a few rods, contrary to all ex- 
pectation, a strong current carried the ship 
along in deeper water toward the right hand of 
the reef Immediately the mate ordered the 
rudder to be put on the starboard side, and the 
ship wore away and sailed some distance nearly 
in a line parallel to the rocks, and then crossed 
at the western extremity, just grazing on the 
shoal of sand ! All exclaimed, * It is the work 
of God i' 

" Monday night, the storm still raging, was a 
dark and gloomy night, as you will readily eon- 
elude. 



148 MEMOIR OF 

*' Tuesday Morning, the storm abated. Our 
masts, sails, shrouds, and anchors were gone, 
though we found the hull of the ship sound, and 
all hands in usual health. 

** Tuesday, 12 o^ clock, we discovered land, 
which we thought to be the island of Guernsey. 
The ship continued, with partial sails, to be in 
some degree under our direction. At 4 o'clock, 
P. M. we discovered land in another direction, 
which could more readily be gained, as the wind , 
then was ; but as it was near night, and we 
were unacquainted with the coast, we concluded, 
if possible, to lie to, and attempt to gain land 
in the morning, which was ten or fifteen miles 
distant. We then had twenty-four fathoms of 
water. TVe had previously lost both our an- 
chors, during the gale. The next morning we 
found ourselves but a few miles from our posi- 
tion the evening before, and within a short dis- 
tance of land, and the weather pleasant. By 
means of ^the chart, we concluded the land in 
siofht was the coast of France, and that we were 
near St. Malo. By eight o'clock in the morn- 
ing, we discovered a number of boats coming 
off to our aid. By twelve o'clock we received a 
pilot from the harbor of St. JVJalo; and at five 
o'clock, P. M. were safe in the harbor. 

** Wednesday, lOth. We are all well, and 
have not suffered any loss of property. You 
will adore the distinguishing goodness of God in 
my preservation, in that of my companion, and 
the rest who were preserved with us in the 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 149 

ship. I shall hope to write to you again soon, 
and give you a more particular account. 

'' S. J. M." 

'' Harbor of St. MaJo, Dec. 11, 1817. 

*' REV. AND DEAR FATHER, 

'* After our severe trials, which I have briefly 
related, you will rejoice with me, when you 
contemplate my present quiet, and as I consider, 
safe situation. The sun shines out, and gives a 
pleasant view of the surrounding country. The 
city of St. Malo is not more than a quarter of a 
mile from the ship. This city contains ten or 
twelve thousand inhabitants. It is a kind of 
citadel, surrounded with a high wall, built of 
stone. The buildings are of stone, generally 
of a light color ; and from our place of observa- 
tion the city presents a very antique appearance. 

^^ We shall be detained in the ship to-day, and 
probably longer. V/e must undergo a quaran- 
tine ; but as we have no sickness, we earnestly 
hope to be delivered from our prison soon. Our 
cabin was so deluged with water during the 
gale, that it continues very damp. Our beds 
and bedding have been wet, and the weather is 
cold and chilling, though we have, a part of the 
day, a fair sky and the shining of the sun. 

** 1 hope, my dear sir, that by the late dispen- 
sation of God's providence, I shall learn sub- 
mission to the divine will, and more entire 
devotedness to God. My life, which has been 
\n a signal manner preserved, should surely be 
13* 



150 MKMom OF 

consecrated to his service. To the present time 
I have not dared to attempt a particular account 
of the scenes v^hich I have passed through since 
the last Sabbath evening. The scene is so 
deeply settled in my soul as not to be eradicated 
while I live. O God, I thank thee for my 
preservation, and that of my dear companion, 
and our other friends rescued from the devour- 
ing flood. While we lament the loss of some of 
our number, we know that though ' clouds and 
darkness are round about Him, justice and 
judgment are the habitation of his throne.' 

' He moves in a mysterious vvaV;, his wonders to perform — - 
He plants his footsteps in the sea. and rides upon the storm/ 

Ah, yes ; ' he rides upon the storm' — he follows 
with his unerring eye, and sustains with his 
almighty hand the weary and the tempest-tossed. 
Verily, if the Lord had not been on our side, 
the proud waves had gone over our souls. O 
that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, 
for his wonderful works to the children of men ! 
Ye that go down to the sea in ships, that do 
business in great waters, praise ye the Lord, 
O that men would praise the Lord for his 
goodness ! In whatever condition we may be — - 
whether on the land or on the sea — whether 
among friends or strangers — every moment we 
experience his preserving care and kindness :~ 
but when he brings us up from among the dead— 
from the bowels of the ocean, and permits us to 
labor yet a little longer in promoting the pre- 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS* 151 

cioas kingdom of his dear Son, — how great, 
how immense are our obligations to live to him 
alone ! 

** Your affectionate son, 

'' SAMUEL J. MILLS." 

After the delay of six days at St. Malo, Messrs. 
Mills and Burgess proceeded by land to Havre- 
de-Grace, and on the same evening took passage 
in a regular packet for England : in twenty-four 
hours arrived at South Hampton, and the next 
morning entered London. Early after their 
arrival, they presented their letters to Zachary \ 
Macaulay, Esq. formerly Governor of Sierra 
Leone ; to the Rev. Messrs. Pratt and Bickers- 
teth. Secretaries of the Church Missionary So- 
ciety, who were partially informed as to the 
designs of the Colonization Society and the 
nature of the embassy, and gave them many ex- 
pressions of their confidence. Mr. Wilberforcjg.^ 
also received them with great cordiiatiTy, and 
perused their letters and commission with deep 
sensibility and high approbation. — The Rev. 
Mr. Owen, the Secretary of the British and 
Foreign Bible Society, and the Rev. Mr. Hen- 
derson, the Agent of that Society in Russia, 
were providentially present at this interview ; 
and there was an enthusiastic reciprocity of 
feeling, which is not often witnessed or experi- 
enced. Though all were communicative, yet 
the father and patron in the company was all 



152 MEMOIR OF 

speech, action, thought, and benevolence. Mr. 
Wilber force kindly offered his services to intro- 
duce the gentlemen to Lords Bathurst and Gam- 
bier, and to prepare the way for their intro- 
duction to his Royal Highness the Duke of 
Gloucester, the patron of the African Institu- 
tion. His Royal Highness received them with 
great politeness, and showed himself much 
gratified with the object of the American So- 
ciety. Lord Bathurst, Secretary of State for 
the colonies, cast his eye over their commission, 
and promptly offered to give them letters to the 
Governor of Sierra Leone, and other officers, on 
the coast. Lord Gambier expressed a deep in- 
terest in the embassy ; called on the gentlemen 
at their own lodgings, and politely proffered any 
services in his power to promote the views of 
the Mission. No narrow views, no political 
prejudices, no supreme regard to national or 
personal aggrandizement, prevented the friends 
of humanity in England from listening to the 
nature of the embassy, interposing their influ- 
ence in favor of this benevolent object, and 
affording the agents every facility and all rea- 
sonable assistance in the prosecution of their 
purpose. 

After adjusting all their concerns in England, 
they embarked for Africa on the Sd ot Feb. 
1818. Some of the incidents of this voyage are 
stated in the following letter to Mr. Mills's only 
sister. It is the last he ever wrote : — 



REY. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 153 

^^ On board the ship Mary, February 26, 1818. 
" On the 3d of February we embarked on 
board the ship Mary, for Sierra Leone, then 
lying off Gravesend. We were then in hopes 
that we should arrive on the African coast in 
eighteen or twenty days; but in this expectation 
we have been greatly disappointed. For some 
days after we left Gravesend we had very light 
breezes, and progressed but slowly. Soon after 
we were out of the English channel, we began 
to experience contrary winds, and during ten or 
twelve days encountered a number of gales, the 
wind almost uniformly against us. It is now 
the 26th of February, the time in which we cal- 
culated to have been on the African coast, had 
the winds been favorable ; and yet we are not 
further distant from London than what is often 
attained in five or six days. For eight or ten 
days preceding the present time, we have been 
obstructed by adverse winds — tossed about in 
the Bay of Biscay — some of the time in sight of 
the Spanish coast. Last evening the wind came 
round from the southwest to the northwest, and 
we are now proceeding prosperously on our 
voyage. Although we have experienced this 
delay, yet we have passed most of our time 
pleasantly, and I hope profitably, since we have 
been on board. We have a very good ship : 
our accommodations are such as to render us 
very comfortable, and the officers of the ship 
are kind and skilful men. Thus far the Lord 
hath dealt with us in mercy. His hand hath 



154 MEMOIR OF 

been stretched forth for our preservation, and 
we hope we shall be able to put our trust in 
him for the future. Myself and companion are 
aware that we have embarked on a mission at- 
tended with much hazard of our lives. We 
conceive the future danger to arise principally 
from the climate of the country to which we are 
going. Should we be detained on the African 
coast, this danger will be increased by our late 
arrival there. The most favorable season for 
Europeans or Americans to visit the western 
coast of Africa, is in the winter. We now hope 
to arrive on the coast by the 15th of March. 
Could we have reached there two or three 
months earlier, we should have esteemed our- 
selves highly fortunate. Circumstanced, how- 
ever, as we are, we are not without hopes, that 
the object of our Mission may be effected with- 
out any very considerable delay, and we thus be 
enabled to leave at least soon after the com- 
mencement of the rainy season. But we do not 
feel that we ought to be greatly anxious in our 
present situation. We have used our best ef- 
forts, both before and since our leaving the 
United States, to arrive on the coast at the earli- 
est period possible. Whether I am to live or 
to die while engaged in this Mission, God only 
knows: but one thing we know, and in this we 
will rejoice, — Ethiopia shall soon stretch forth 
her hands unto God. The time will come, 
when the barbarous tribes of Africa shall wor- 
ship Jesus as King in Zion, The time will 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 155 

come, when her children, now under oppression 
and in bondage, shall become the freemen of 
the Lord. And should I die in Africa, and not 
again visit the land of my nativity, still it would 
be a great consolation to my dear friends, might 
they hope, as did Mr. Newell in another case, 
*^ that my bones had taken possession of the 
promised land, and would rest in the glorious 
hope of the final and universal triumph of Jesus 
over the god of this world." The responsibility 
of my station at this time, I consider to be vast, 
far beyond any thing that has been ever before 
attached to my situation. But I hope I did not 
engage in it rashly^ — certainly not before I felt a 
full conviction that the contemplated measures 
would be approved of God. By this manner of 
expression, I do not intend to express my entire 
confidence that precisely the measures contem- 
plated will be succeeded at once. 'God moves 
in a mysterious way.' But this I believe, that 
the agitation of the subject now under consider- 
ation, will eventuate in the most happy results. 
If an evil exists in a community, a remedy must 
be sought, especially if it be an evil generally 
and necessarily increasing in its unhappy effects. 
As Ions as no exertions are made to redress the 
grievance, the case must become every day 
more hopeless. 

*' As the unhappy state of the free people of 
color, as well as that of the slaves, had long oc- 
cupied my thoughts, it was with peculiar plea- 
sure that on my arrival at Washington, in De- 



156 MEMOIR OP 

cember, 1816, I found the subject engrossing 
public attention : not that I ever supposed that 
a million and an half of men, or even a consid- 
erable proportion of that number, would be at 
the present time particularly benefited by this 
discussion — ^or that even any more than com- 
paratively a very small part of the free people of 
color could at present, or very soon, be greatly 
benefited by the measures proposed. But I 
considered a movement, or even a disposition to 
agitate the subject, as a ray of light breaking 
through a dark cloud, and as the precursor of 
another and another. I felt it my duty, there- 
fore, to give the design all the aid I could. 

*^ I felt the more constrained to do this, as I 
perceived after the formation of the Coloniza- 
tion Society, that there was danger that the in- 
terest which had been excited would subside, 
and things revert to their former state. The 
sending agents to Africa w^ould help to keep the 
subject alive in the public mind ; and as the im- 
pulse seemed evidently to be benevolent, there 
was a prospect that happy consequences would 
ensue, could that impulse be kept up. 

•' Beside, a consideration of the state of the 
free people of color, might lead to measures cal- 
culated to improve their condition at home, if a 
place could not be provided for them abroad. 
It might lead to measures to restrain the prac- 
tice of kidnapping, and even for improving the 
state of the slaves ; and lead eventually, perhaps, 
to the emancipation of many of the latter class. 



REY. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 157 

If, by pursuing the object now in view, a few of 
the free blacks of good character could be set- 
tled in any part of the African coast, they might 
be the means of introducing civilization and re- 
ligion among the barbarous nations already there. 
Their settlement might increase gradually ; and 
some might, in a suitable time, go out from that 
settlement and form others, and prove the occa- 
sion of great good. These, and many other 
like views, which I had taken of the subject, 
induced me to undertake the ardbous business, 
and to act as agent for the society. We have 
great hopes the plan will succeed. God has 
protected us thus far, and we hope he will re- 
turn us again to our friends. Farewell/' 



14 



158 MExMOIR OF 



CHAP. IX. 



His Journal as Agent of the Colonization 
Society, 

A PLEASANT passage brought them to the 
coast of Africa on the 12th of March. The 
events which occurred from this date will better 
appear from the journal of Mr. Mills while in 
that country. The preparation of this document 
was the last service he was permitted to perform. 
It is in itself so excellent, and is in so few 
hands, that the reader will expect somewhat co- 
pious extracts. 

'' Ship Mary, off Cape de Verde, 

Thursday, Vlth March, 1818. 
" We left London on the 3d February, and 
on the 7th sailed from the Downs. For ei^jhteen 
days we encountered head winds and strong 
gales, and made slow progress. On the 25th 
we had a distinct view of Cape Finisterre, in 
Spain. On the 3d of March we passed Ma- 
deira, and, on the 6th, Palma, and other Canary 
islands. We expect to see Cape Verde to-day, 
and to anchor in the river Gambia to-morrow. 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 159 

" While on the voyage we have been chiefly 
employed in reading books which treat of the 
people, climate, soil, and productions of Africa. 

'' At 4, P. M. we exulted at the sight of Af- 
rica, and began to draw, with our pencils, im- 
perfect sketches of the coast, the eminences, 
trees, &lc. Cape Verde is high, open to the 
sea breeze, and verdant in appearance. The 
two eminences are called the Mamelles : the 
cape terminates with islands of rocks. 

** The mouth of the Senegal is about 100 
miles northeast of Cape Verde. The island St. 
Louis, belonging to the Frencn, lies nine miles 
up the Senegal, and has a mixed population of 
five or six thousand. It is valuable as a mili- 
tary and commercial station, to command the 
trade of that great river. 

** As we passed south of the Cape, Goree 
presented itself to view. This island, which 
belongs to the French, is little better than a 
barren rock, about three fourths of a mile in 
circumference, with a population of four or five 
thousand. We saw the vessels in the harbor, 
and the flag at the fort. It is a place of resort 
for European invalids, while on the coast. 

'^ Gambia^ Fridai/, l^th March. 
" Early this morning we began to enter the 
noble Gambia, between Cape St. Mary's and 
Banyan Point on the right, and Sanguomar, the 
Bird Islands, and Barra Point, on the left. The 
bay is 12 or 15 miles wide, and the mouth of 



160 MEMOIR OF 

the river between Barra and Banyan Points is 
six miles wide. The weather is very pleasant, 
the thermometer at 68 degrees, and the sun ob- 
scured by a hazy atmosphere. 

" At 12, A. M. we anchored near the village 
St. Mary's, situated on Banyan Point. It is an 
infant settlement, commenced only two years 
ago. The governor's house, the barracks, and 
a few other houses, are tolerably well built : 
most of the others are constructed of very slen- 
der materials, just sufficient to afford a shade 
from the sun, and a shelter from the dews and 
rains. The people were cheerful, and generally 
employed in some kind of labor. Some were 
unlading goods ; some burning shells for lime ; 
and some at work in the carpenters' and smiths' 
shops. We stood some time to see a company 
of soldiers go through the manual exercise. 
They were mostly Africans, above the ordinary 
stature, well formed, and neatly dressed. They 
appeared to be quite expert and intelligent. 
The military force of the place is about 100 men. 
A few pieces of cannon, mostly disnr)ounted, are 
arranged along the beach. There is no fort or 
block-house. Notv^^ithstanding the exposed state 
of the settlement, there is no fear of assault 
from the native tribes. The number of Euro- 
peans is about thirty, and the population of the 
village is already seven or eight hundred. Trade 
is the soul of the colony : this will increase an- 
nually, as the trade of the whole river will con- 
centrate here. The spot does not invite to 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 161 

agriculture, and there are none in the settlement 
whose interest and dispositions incline them to 
it. The officers attend to the civil order and 
safety of the colony : the merchants hope to 
amass a fortune, and return home. There is, as 
yet, no attention paid to literary or moral in- 
struction ; hence, the internal improvement of 
the place will be very slow, unless some humane 
society afford their aid. 

*' Gambia, Saturday, litli March, 
*' We made our respects to ^he commandant, 
and became acquainted with most of the Euro- 
peans here. They gave us several facts respect- 
ing the slave-trade, which is now renewed by 
the French, at the Senegal and Goree, to a 
great extent. Some hundreds of slaves have 
been smuggled away in canoes and small ves- 
sels, by niglit, even from this river and the parts 
adjacent, within a ^ew months. 

" We walked out from the settlement two or 
three miles. Most of this space, overgrown 
with wild grass, resembled a prairie of Illinois 
or Missouri. The herds of cattle, which abound 
in this vicinity, become very tolerable beef by 
feeding on grass alone. We saw marshy spots, 
where the tide had some time flowed, incrusted 
over with salt. We measured an Adansonia, 
(monkey-bread tree,) which was 40 feet in 
circumference. 

^* This settlement claims only a small tract of 
land, for the use of which there is an annual 
14* 



1G2 MEMOm OF 

allowance of a small parcel of goods to the king 
of Combo. This man is well spoken of, and is 
said to be averse to the slave-trade, which can- 
not be said of many of the native kings. This 
is a noble river, and flows through a luxuriant 
country. 

'' Gambia, Monday, l^tli March, 1818. 

*' We embarked in the brig Success for Sierra 
Leone, leaving the Mary to unlade a part of her 
cargo. We hope to arrive there in four or five 
days. It would have been very pleasing to us 
to have gone up the Gambia a few hundred 
miles. But our time is invaluable to us before 
the rains, and we hasten to that part of the coast 
which our instructions require us to survey. 

** At St. Mary's we saw Capt. Lloyd, a friend 
of the lamented Park. Another interesting 
person was Thomas Joiner, a native African. 
He was a son of a prince of some distinction, 
who lived about six hundred miles up this river. 
When a boy, he was kidnapped and sold in the 
West Indies. He was afterwards redeemed by 
an English captain, who knew his father. He 
was well educated in England, and restored to 
his country. He is a man of good character 
and habits, and has acquired property and in- 
fluence. He has just returned from England, 
where he left two sons for an education. He 
says that he shall buy a brig the next year, to 
import his own goods. Will not some of our 
American people of color be fired by this ex- 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 1G3 

ample ? Tliey might fit out vessels to trade to 
this country^ which would enable them to ascer- 
tain its valuable productions, and to survey parts 
of the coast. Such an intercourse they would 
find much to their advantage. This will most 
naturally lead to settlements in this country. 

" The more we learn of Africa, the more 
confident we are thai the plan of the American 
Colonization Society will eventually succeed. 
We obtain increasing proofs of the fertility of 
the soil, and ascertain a greater variety of the 
productions of the country. If the slave-trade, 
that mother of abominations and source of woes 
unutterable, can be annihilated, Africa will 
revive and assume a respectable rank among 
the nations of the earth. 

" Sierra Leone, Sahhath, 22d March, 1818. 

"At 9, A. M. we are sailing into Sierra Leone 
river, which is about ten or twelve miles wide. 
The mountains rise in irregular ridges and 
peaks, one beyond another, and present a grand 
and verdant appearance. 

"At 11, A. M. boats and canoes came to us 
from the town. We anchored below to wait 
for the next tide. The town has the appear- 
ance of a neat and pleasant village. For health 
and commerce, its local situation is admirable. 
It is too hard and hilly for agriculture. 

" Several villages are in sight. The church 
on Leicester Mountain is in full view, and aids 



164 MEMOIR OF 

US much in our devotional thouorhts on this 
sacred day. 

" The altars on these mountains, which the 
natives had dedicated to devils, are falling be- 
fore the temples of the living God, like the 
imao^e of Da2:on before the ark. The time is 
comitior when the dwellers in these vales and on 
these mountains will sing hosannas to the Son 
of David. Distant tribes will learn their song. 
* Ethiopia shall stretch forth the hand unto God, 
and worship.' 

*' Sierra Leone ^ Monday , 2Sd 3farc7i. 
** We are sorry to learn that Gov. Macarthy 
is absent on a visit to the Gambia. We made 
our respects to the commandant, chief justice 
Fitzgerald, and the council at the government 
house. We presented Lord Bathurst's letter. 
They said, in obedience to his Lordship's in- 
structions, it would give them pleasure to take 
us to different settlements in the colony, to show 
us the schools, and to render us any assistance 
in the objects of our embassy. We were grate- 
ful, as we should be, and saw the wisdom of our 
coming by the way of England. We delivered 
our letters in the colony. Many of the people 
of color were joyful to see us. The death of 
captain CufFee is deeply lamented. 

'^ Sierra Leonc^ Thursday, 26th March, 1818. 

" We visited the schools in Freetown. In 

the male school were about 200 neat, active, in- 



REV. SAMUEt i. MILLS. 165 

telligent boys, divided into eight classes, under 
the superintendence of Mr. Horton, whose per- 
severance and fidelity are entitled to high com- 
mendation. We saw the writing of the boys, 
and heard them read and spell. In the female 
school were about 100 neatly-dressed little girls, 
many of whom could read and sew. These 
schools would do no dishonor to an English or \ 
American village. There was not a white child \ 
in either of them. I believe schools of white 
children seldom give fairer proofs of good im- 
provement. N 

'* The number in all the schools in the colo- 
ny, including some adults, does not fall much 
short of two thousand. This is about one-sixth 
part of the whole population. 

** Sienna Leone, Friday, '21tli March, 1818. 
" In the evening we met the principal mem- 
bers of the Friendly Society. This society was ^ 
instituted among the colonists at the suggestion | 
of the late Paul CufFee. John Kizell is the 
president. We made a full statement of our 
object. All appeared to be much gratified. It 
was not the first notice which they had of our 
design, as we brought many letters from their 
brethren in Boston and New York. It was 
their opinion that wherever the colony might be 
formed, it was not expedient to request a large 
tract of land at first, as the kings might be 
alarmed lest we should take their country from 
them. If we can gain footing in an eligible 



166 MEMOIR OF 

place, there will not be much difficulty in ob- 
taining additional grants hereafter, as the land 
may be wanted. One observed, that if a man 
of great wealth should come and wish to buy 
one of our houses, we might sell it to him ; but 
if he should wish to buy all Freetown, an alarm 
would be made at once. 

** Some of the kings have a suspicion lest 
those whom they have sold to slave-traders 
should return and revenge on them their wrongs. 
This fear would be increased if the territory de- 
sired was of great extent. One man who was 
sold from the Sherbro nearly thirty years ago, 
has lately returned. He openly asserted, that if 
any person should take any of his family, and 
sell them, he would kill that man without the 
least hesitation. 

" We informed the meeting of our design to 
go down the coast to Sherbro, and wished to 
know whether they would recommend any of 
their number who might go with us as interpret- 
ers and advisers. It was understood that Mr. 
Kizell and Mr. Martin would accompany us. 

*' Before we parted, we addressed our prayers 
to God ; to whom the honor and glory of this 
great and benevolent enterprize will belong, if 
it is carried into effect. 

''Saturday, 28th March, 1818. 
** Monday we expect to begin our tour down 
the coast, and have been much occupied to-day 
in making preparations. We have engaged a. 



nST. SAMUEL 3, MILLS. 167 

sloop of 10 or 15 tonSj with a captain, five men, 
and a boy, all Africans, at six dollars per day, 
they finding their own provisions. Mr. B. and 
myself, with Messrs. Kizeli, Martin, and Ander- 
son, our pilot, complete our number. We have 
laid in some provisions, calculating on an ab- 
sence of three or four weeks, and have taken 
some goods with which to purchase additional 
provisions, and to make the necessary presents 
to the kings and head men, on whom we may 
call. 

'' Sabbath, 29tli karcJi, 1818. 
*' Setting out at six o'clock in the morning, in 
company with several gentlemen, we rode to at- 
tend public worship at Regent's Town and the 
Christian Institution. The Christian Institution 
is a large school for the captured children, es- 
tablished by the Church Missionary Society, 
and stands on Leicester Mountain, three miles 
from Freetown. This institution accommodates 
about 200 children of both sexes, who are mostly 
named and supported by individual benefactors 
in England. These are children once destined 
to foreign slavery, now fed, clothed, governed, 
and carefully taught in the Christian religion. 
Assembled in the church to worship God, they 
are a spectacle of grateful admiration ; and 
their state happily exemplifies the divine origin 
and holy principles of the religion in which they 
are taught. Regent's Town lies in a valley, 
with a fine brook running through it. Some 



168 MEMOIR OF 

hundreds of acres are cleared by the people. It 
has the appearance of a new and flourishing 
settlement. The wilderness buds and blossoms 
like the rose. Here we saw 200 children in the 
schools. On the Sabbath more than 1000 of 
the children and people were present in the 
church, neatly dressed, sober, attentive to the 
reading of the word of God, and uniting their 
voices to sing his praise. 

''Monday, 30th March, 1818. 
'* A part of the day has been occupied in 
taking our departure for our tour down the 
coast. About 3, P. M. we made sail and beat 
our way down to Cape Sierra Leone, which we 
passed before night. As our African captain is 
afraid of damage to the ship by running in the 
night, we came to anchor a few miles from the 
Cape. The high ridges of the mountains pre- 
sent a pleasing prospect, and the more so, as we 
know that hosannas are sung to Zion's King 
upon their very summit. So God has kindly 
ordered : the chain is broken, and the captive 
slave is free. 

" Plaintain Islands, Tuesday, 31st March. 
*' This morning early we were in sight of the 
Bananas. They afford a handsome prospect. 
We propose to call on Thomas Caulker, the 
head man of the islands, who is understood to 
have influence with Somano, and other kings in 
Sherbro. 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 169 

*' At 9, A. M. we anchored off the Bananas, 
and went to pay our respects to Caulker. He 
met us at the landing, and invited us to his 
house. After we had conversed together some 
time, and walked about the town, we took our 
seats in a spacious room, furnished with chairs, 
tables, &LC. Mr. Kizell presented Mr. C. a few 
bars of tobacco and powder, and stated to him 
our character, and the objects of our visit to 
Africa. He said that we had been sent by the 
friends of Africans in America, to find a place 
where a colony might be forme(| to which the 
descendants of Africans now ia America might 
resort ; and as we were going down to see king 
Sherbro, we wished to consult with him too, as 
we knew that he had considerable influence 
with those on whom we w-ere to call. He said 
our design was like Paul Cuffee's, whom Mr. 
C. had known. I then observed that he knew 
how the people had been carried from this coun- 
try some hundred years past. Many ot their 
descendants were now free. Some had already 
returned to this country : others wished to re- 
turn, if a good place could be found for a colo- 
ny and the kings favored the plan. Caulker, 
who appears to be a sensible man, said, he was 
pleased with our object, and wished we might 
succeed. He thought it would be a very good 
thing for this country, if a colony could be 
formed at Sherbro. He said a settlement might 
be formed, as we proposed, on the Camaranca 
river, which he claimed as his territory ; but 
15 



170 MEMOIR OF 

that lar^e vessels could not pass the bar of the 
river. We said that on some accounts a settle- 
ment further down the coast would be preferred, 
as the colony of Sierra Leone claimed the north 
bank of the Camaranca. He said he would 
send his son and nephew with us to the Plan- 
tains, and to Sherbro, to tell his desire to favor 
us, and his wish that they would do the same. 
He charged the young men to tell the kings our 
object was a good one. 

** We left the Bananas at 12, and arrived at 
the Plantains at 3, P. M., a distance of twenty 
miles. George Caulker, head man of the Plan- 
tains, is a nephew of Thomas Caulker of the 
Bananas, and has spent six or seven years in 
England, for education. As the surf ran too 
hio^h for our small boat, w^e made a signal for a 
canoe to take us on shore : it was soon alono^- 
side, paddled by six men. 

*' The head man received us in a friendly 
mahnei, and invited us into his house, which 
was a very convenient building. We laid be- 
fore him a small present, and made known the 
object of our visit. He expressed a fear that 
the colony would hereafter claim more territory 
than it ought. Sierra Leone had now become 
powerful, and had already taken a considerable 
extent of territory under their direction. He 
said the kings would have less objection to an 
American colony, if the people of color were to 
/govern the colony themselves. They are afraid 
that white men will take their country from 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 171 

them ; but they will not have the same fears of | 
their brethren. We told him that we were of 
the opinion that the good men, in our country, 
who sent us here, would be well satisfied to 
have the colonists govern themselves, if the 
proper persons could be found among them. If 
the white people should interfere, and appoint a 
governor of the colony, it would be only to give 
it stability and security ; and, whatever part 
they might take at first, they would be looking 
forward to the time when the people of color 
should govern themselves. This view of the 
subject seemed very satisfactory to him, and he 
said his sentiments were the same as his uncle's, 
and he should be pleased to have us settle at the 
mouth of the Camaranca. 

*' York Island, Wednesday, \st April, 
" Last night we anchored in seven fathoms 
water, half way between the Plantains and Sher- 
bro Island. This morninor we sailed alonor 
Sherbro Island, and as we approached Jenkins 
we saw the mouth of the Bagroo river, and the 
highlands in the interior ; the former 8 or 10 
miles, and the latter 20 or 25 miles, distant. 
Sherbro Island is usually estimated at 22 miles 
by 12, in extent. At 10, A. M. we called at 
Samo, a town of 20 huts, on the island, half a 
mile from Jenkins. A canoe took us on shore. 
Soriiasa, the head man of Sam,o, was not at 
home. William Ado is the head man of Jen- 
kins. The brother of Somasa accepted our 



172 MEMOIR OF 

little present, and heard our words. He said, as 
his brother was not at home, he could not turn 
one way or the other, i. e. presumed not to ex- 
press his opinion. We walked about the island, 
found the water good, and the surface 15 or 20 
feet above the sea. 

** At 3, P. M. we arrived at York Island, now 
occupied by Mr. Anderson, formerly of Banco 
Island. This island may be two miles long, 
and one broad, is low, unhealthy, and surround- 
ed with mangroves. The mangroves grow sev- 
eral feet high, and have much the same appear- 
ance at a distance as the willows on the banks 
and islands of the Mississippi. We visited the 
ruins of an old fort or castle — walls very thick 
— bricks uncommonly red and hard — stone of a 
quality not to be found about here — probably 
built 200 years ago, now partly washed away by 
the tides. 

'* Bendou, Thursday , 2d April. 

*^ This morning we came to Bendou. King 
Somano has three villages near him, and owns 
considerable tracts of land in different places. 
Soon after we anchored, he sent a canoe on 
board to know who were come. The messen- 
ger was told that two gentlemen had come from 
America to see him. We were pleased to 
learn that Safah of Chaa was here, as it would 
be necessary to see him likewise. 

" At 10, A. M. we went on shore, and found 
king Somano seated in the Palaver-house. This 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 173 

is only a conical roof, supported by posts, leav- 
ing an area about twenty leet in diameter. Mr. 
K. took bis seat near the king; Mr. B. and 
myself nearly in front. Safah soon made bis 
appearance, marcbing along between tbe mud- 
wailed cottages, dressed in a silver-laced coat, a 
superb three-cornered bat, a mantle around his 
neck banging nearly to tbe ground, blue bafta 
trowsers, considerably tbe worse for wear ; 
without stock in(Ts or shoes. Somano was dres- 
sed in a common gown and pantaloons, with 
liat and shoes. Safah is larg,^e, has a broad 
African face, and an inquisitive eye. Somano 
is rather slender, and has a face less strikincr : 
both are nearly sixty years of age. After a full 
introduction to the kinofs, we had to shake 
hands with the men and women, who bad col- 
lected around to the number of 40 or 50. Some 
of our party went to the schooner for our present, 
before the palaver could be opened. Mr. K. 
left bis handkerchief in tbe chair, as a pledge 
that be would come back. Our present con- 
sisted of a piece of bafta, a keg of powder, a 
few bars of tobacco, and a small jar of rum. 
The last article Mr. K. was requested to obtain 
for us, as we were told they would in no case 
bold a palaver without it; and we have reason 
to helieve our information correct. These people 
are only children of a larger growth, and we 
would hope, by a temporary conformity, gradu- 
ally to wean them from their vicious customs. 
One jar only was first set before them : they 
15* 



174 MEMOIR OV 

contended that there were two kings, and they 
must have two bottles ; nor would they yield 
this point until a second was produced. The 
palaver now went on. Mr. K. stated, in a very 
satisfactory manner, the nature and objects of 
our visit : — That we came from America, from 
Washington, the capital of the United States : 
that wise and good men had agreed to help the 
black people who wished to come to this coun- 
try : that the design was a good one, and would 
promote the best interests of the black people 
both in America and Africa : that if they should 
sell or give tracts of their unimproved lands, the 
people who came would introduce more know- 
ledge of the arts and of agriculture — would buy 
such things as they had to sell, and would sell 
to them such things as they wanted. They 
listened with attention. We made additional 
statements, with which they expressed their 
satisfaction. Safah inquired if we had any book 
with us. We told him we had. Mr. B. read, 
and Mr. K. interpreted some parts of our in- 
structions, particularly the article which directs 
us to visit Sherbro. 

*^ During the discussion, the kings suggested 
fears that an American colony would do as 
Sierra Leone had done, (referring to a war 
which in the event dispossessed king Thorn of 
the country adjacent to the colony.) Mr. K. 
defended Sierra Leone, and made the kings 
submit to the truth of his argument. They said 
they were younger brothers of Sherbro, and must 



RKV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 175 

wait his answer. If we had applied to them for 
land, the}^ would have given their consent: now 
they are not able to give an answer, but will send 
a man to speak their mind to Sherbro. They 
thanked us for our present, but made no return. 
Indeed, we could hardly have desired their 
bounty, as they are, and ever will be, poor, 
while their indolent habits are indulged. They 
possess much good land, but do not cultivate 
one acre in fifty, if one in five hundred. The 
banks of Sherbro bay are low, not exceeding 
twenty feet above the sea. Some places arc 
occasionally overflowed with the tide, and cov- 
ered with mangroves. High lands may be seen 
between the Bagroo and Deong rivers. We are 
inclined to think tlie first staiion should be on 
Sherbro Island, near Jenkins, and the priacinai 
?=ottlements on the Bagroo, nearly opposite. 
Sherbro bay has much the appearance of the 
Mississippi river between the mouth of the Ohio 
and Natchez. The islands are numerous. 'J'he 
knd on Sherbro Island is flat and sandy, but 
coygred with a luxuriant growth of trees, shrubs, 
vines, pine-apple plants, &c. The water is 
<Tood, though less cold than in more northern 
latitudes. 

*' During our conversation, the kings named 
some articles which our people must bring here- 
after, if an arrangement be made for land. One \ 
wanted a large hat, shoes, &c. ; the other want- \ 
ed a silver-headed cane, clothes, and especially \ 



176 MEMOIR OF 

a black horse-taii, furnished with an elegant 
handle, which is the badge of royall}' in this 
conn try. 

'* After tlie palaver was over, the rum was 
served round in a siriall glass. Some became 
nierry and noisy. We walked to two other 
villages on the bank, and returned to the 
schooner at 3, P. M. 

t« \Ye had uoi been long on board when we 
received a troublesome visit from Somano and 
some of his men. He said he came to pay his 
respects to us ; and it was the custom when the 
king came on board a vessel, to be treated with 
rum, &c. We excused ourselves that we were 
not on board our own ship, and could not treat 
the kincr with the same respect as we mio[ht in 
our own country. He left us tolerably satisfied, 
after being regaled with a bottle of wine, and 
receiving some pipes for his tobacco; but on 
shore he complained of our incivility. He has 
been long acquainted with slave-traders, and it 
would be strange if he supported a different 
character under the tuition of such men. 

** Some of his people brought on board some 
mats, honey, palm-oil, and rice, to trade. 

** i^eav the Palaver-house vv-as a little thatched 
hut, not larger than a spread umbrella, called 
the w^itch or devil's house. It was filled with 
shells, bits of cloth, &c. In walking out from 
the village, 1 passed by the devil's bush, a 
thicket ef shrubs and vines nearly impenetrable 



RET. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 177 

by any one. If a woman should be found in 
this bush, she would suffer death, according to 
the law of the Purrah. When we were at the 
Bananas, I saw a man, who was tattooed with 
marks and lines on his face, back, and breast ; 
and inquired of Caulker the reason of it. He 
said he was what the English would call a Free- 
mason, a Purrah, and known to his brethren 
by these marks, 

*' In this land, where altars are erected to 
devils, we sung the hymn, * Salvation, oh the 
joyful sound,' &c. A number^ of the natives 
were present at our evening prayer, and be- 
haved well. 

'* Yonicj Friday J ^d April. 

'* Improving the wind and the tide, we cros- 
sed the bay six or eight miles to Yonie, where 
king Sherbro lives. The islands and the main 
land present a very verdant and handsome pros- 
pect. 

" At 8, A. M. anchored at Yonie, and Messrs. 
Kizell and Martin v/ent on shore to prepare the 
way for our interview with king Sherbro and 
the prince Kong Couber. We may safely trust 
our friend K. No man's heart can be more 
ardent for the success of our object, and no 
man in Africa could probably be so useful to us 
under present circumstances. After his return 
in the afternoon, he gave us the following nar- 
rative. He met Kong Couber by the water side, 
who took him by the hand and led him to his 



178 MEMOIR OF 



He told the prince that two gentlemen, 
strangers of king Sherbro, had come. They 
are from America, the city of V/ashington, and 
the kings and head men there. They are sent 
to see king Sherbro, and obtain a place for some 
black people who are free in that country, and 
wiil come to sit down by king Sherbro, if he 
will give some ground where they may settle. 
The offer is made to Sherbro ; but if he refuses 
it, the people will be settled in another place. 
If he gives them a place, it will be a great ad- 
vantage to his children and people ; for these 
people will bring the arts and knowledge of 
cultivation, and will establish schools to learn 
the children. We, old men, must die soon. 
The children will be instructed and know more 
than their fathers. These people will make 
things cheaper and plentier : they will come in 
quiet, without quarrels and fightings. If our 
people do bad, there must be a regular palaver, 
and no arms taken up. If your people do bad^ 
the business must be settled the same way. If 
it be a great crime, I suppose the bad man will 
be shut up and made to Vv'ork hard, and no lives 
taken. If you want to know the truth of these 
things, you may send some of your sons to 
America for education, and perhaps some head 
men to see what these men say is true. To all 
this, and to each sentence, he said, hem^ heiiu 

" Not finding tlse prince disposed to say much, 
Mr. K. sent Mr. M. for a bottle of wine and a 
little tobacco. He drank a little of it, and gave 



RET. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 179 

the rest to his people. He then sent two fowls 
on board for our dinner. 

'' The prince then told Mr. K. that all he said 
was true and good. Bat he was only a boy, 
and could say nothing before he saw the king. 
He could give no answer : he must call all 
the head men together, and tell them the busi- 
ness, that they might speak their mind, for the 
country belonged to all the kings and head men. 
But he would hold a palaver to-morrow, and hear 
what the gentlemen would say. 

*^ The prince, Kong Couber, is the son of old 
king Sherbro. It is a custom of the people, 
when a king dies, to select a kinor from another 
family. While one of another family enjoys 
the name of king, this prince has the ability to 
preserve the power in his own hands. He is a 
man of superiorjintelligence and skilled in pala- 
vers. We shall probably be detained a week at 
least. It is imipossible to foresee the result. 
We now propose to obtain a pledge that we 
may occupy some miles square on Sherbro 
Island opposite the Bagroo, and tracts of land 
on that river including the mountains 20 or 25 
miles up. The country is represented fertile, 
with very few inhabitants, and especially in the 
hilly parts healthy. Large vessels may safely 
come to Jenkins, and there are four fathoms of 
water up the Bagroo. 

*' Yonle, Saturday^ AtJi April, 1818. 
*' The morning cloudy ; the thermometer 
stands at 80 degrees ; the extremes of tempera- 



180 MEMOIR OF 

tiire which I have noticed since I left Sierra 
Leone, were 97 degrees and 86 degrees. 

*' The loud and confused cries of the natives 
in the village, occasioned by the death of one 
of the women, attracted our attention at an early 
hour. These lamentations for the dead often 
continue a considerable time. When the in- 
habitants of the surrounding villages come into 
the place where the death has occurred, they 
commence their cries. 

** We have ascertained that the account which 
J. Banna, the African, gave us in London, is 
correct. He has a brother living in the Galli- 
nas. We have not ascertained whether his 
father is alive. The rock to which he referred, 
split into two parts, and one part standing erect, 
and visible three days' journey off, appears to 
be an inaccessible ledge, the resort of wild birds, 
Banna, who expressed an ardent desire to bring 
his brethren to a knowledge of the truth, may 
yet be a blessing to his country. 

" We went on shore to attend the palaver. 
Konor Couber met us where we landed, in a 
friendly manner, and introduced us to king 
Sherbro. He was sitting in the door of his hut, 
barefoot, with a cap and three-cornered hat on 
his head, dressed in a calico gown, and some 
folds of country cloth, with a large silver-headed 
cane in his left hand, and a horse-tail, the regal 
badge, in his right. He is about sixty years of 
age. We walked together under a large cola 
tree, which furnished an excellent shade. Sher- 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 181 

bro seated himself in a great chair, Mr. K. on 
his right hand ; Couber on a large mat before 
the king ; Mr. B. and myself near the foot of 
the tree in front : the people, 50 or 60 in num- 
ber, were seated in a circle, some on mats, and 
some on the ground ; the women and children 
around the circle behind the men. Some of 
the people were dressed in gowns, extending 
from the neck to the feet ; some in blankets of 
the country cloth, wrapped around the body ; 
some, particularly the young, in narrow strips 
of cloth ; while the children were^not burdened 
with any clothes at all. 

** Our present of bafta, tobacco, &c. was pla- 
ced on a mat in the centre of the circle. After 
the usual ceremonies in opening a palaver, our 
character, and the object of our visit was made 
known. Good and great men, in America, had 
sent us to talk to king Sherbro about the chil- 
dren of those African people, who, in times past, 
have been carried from Africa to America. 
Some of them are free to go where they please, 
and some of them think of returning to the land 
of their fathers. Some people in our country 
think of helping them, and have sent us to speak 
with Sherbro and other kin^-s -to see if lands 
may be given to these strangers to sit down 
quiedy. The people who come, by cultivating 
the ground, and by a knowledge of the arts, 
will increase the necessaries and conveniences 
of life. We come as messengers of peace and 
good tidings — no arms in our hands — wish no 
16 



1S:2 MEMOIR OF 

war. If the kings consent to our wishes, and 
the people obtain a quiet settlement here, we 
think they will establish schools to instruct all 
the children. They will bring the book of God 
with them ; and when you are able ta under- 
stand it, we hope it will make you more happy 
while you live here, and after you die. What 
word will king Sherbro send back to the people 
in our country ? 

*^ Parts of our instructions were read, w^ith 
many additional observations, and the whole was 
carefully interpreted, as we read or spoke. 

*' Konoj Couber, who manao^ed the whole 
business on their part, replied. All you say is 
well, very well : but, said he to Mr. K., you say 
you called on Caulker : why did not Caulker 
send his preserrt to king Sherbro ? David 
Caulker answered — his uncle was poor, and had 
nothing in his hand to send when they came 
away. But, said Couber, Caulker ought to 
have sent something to his father. These men 
were sent to king Sherbro — why did they call on 
Somano and Safah before they came to me ? 
We told hiui, it was convenient to us to call on 
them as we came down ; and no disrespect was 
designed to Sherbro, as v/e were not minutely 
informed of the rank of the kings, or the cus- 
toms of the country. Kovv would you like it, 
said he, when a table was set for yourself, that 
your child shoukl sit down before you, and you 
eat afterwards ? But why did not Somano and 
Safah come and speak their minds to Sherbro ? 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 183 

Tasso-, Somano's deputy, said, that king Somano 
sent him to hear what Sherbro would say, that 
he might know what answer to give to the 
strangers. All this was unsatisfactory. It was 
concluded that no answer could be given until 
Safah and Somano came. Tasso was sent to 
call them. 

** The palaver lasted between three and four 
hours. Despatch in business is what African 
kings know nothing of. They will talk around 
a subject for hours, without coming to the point, 

^' In the evenincr, the natives Nrenewed their 
lamentations for the dead, with dancing, beating 
on a drum, &c. The music is dull and mo- 
notonous. When a kin^f, or head mati dies, 
they make much parade, D. Caulker says, 
that during the cry for old Caulker, the people 
came from all the country, and drank twenty 
puncheons of rum. 

** Mr. K. is a second Paul Cuffee. He has a 
good miiid and considerable knowledge. His 
writings discover him to be a man of sense and 
worth. He has a good heart, and no one can 
be more anxious for the temporal and spiritual 
welfare of Africans and their descendants. He 
has enlarged views, and believes, with the fullest 
confidence, that tlie time has arrived when the 
descendants of Africans abroad shall becrin to 
return to their own country. His mind relies 
on the promise of God, — " Ethiopia shall soon 
stretch forth her hands unto Go(i." He says, 
if we can fix on a proper place for a colony, 



184 MEMOIR OF 

our people may come out by hundreds and 
thousands, and we need not fear the conse- 
quences, only sending some men of education 
and piety to be their conductors and guides. 
Africa is the land of black men, and to Africa 
they must and will come. It is at present a 
wide and barren wilderness ; but it may be 
made to bud and blossom like the rose. As for 
land, he says, it belongs to Africans abroad, as 
well as those now in this country ; and if they 
are disposed to return, land they must and shall 
have. They have not forfeited a right to the 
inheritance of their fathers, by being carried by 
force from their country. The good people in 
America have only to help them to get back, 
and assist them a year or two, until they can 
help themselves. Then if they will not work, 
the fault is their own. They certainly will not 
freeze nor starve. Let any class of the people 
of color come — -only give us a few who will be 
good leaders of the rest. He urges the plan of 
colonization, among other reasons, on the 
ground, that it will prevent insurrection among 
the slaves — remove some bad men, who will not 
have the same opportunity to do mischief here 
as there — bring into this country some good 
men, who will shine as lights in this dark world 
— give an opportunity to masters who are dis- 
posed to release their slaves, and thus promote 
a gradual emancipation — provide a home for 
many oppressed free men, and confer infinite 
blessinrrs on this country. Mr. K. thinks the 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 185 

greater part of the people of color, who are now 
in America, will yet return to Africa. 

*' Yonie, Sabbath, 5tli April, 1818. 
** Called on Konsj Coiiber at his thatched cot- 
tao^e. Mr. K. told him it was our Sabbath, 
devoted to the service of God in Christian coun- 
tries, when God's book was read before the peo- 
ple. He answered, — All people should be glad 
to hear God's book — it was the best book — 
God's palaver was the old and good palaver. I 
stated to him the belief of good f*)eople in Ame- 
rica, respecting the creation of the world, the 
sinful state of mankind, and the way of salva- 
tion by Jesus Christ. I referred him to the 
blessings which the Christian religion confers 
on the persons and nations who embrace it, and 
contrasted the state of the American and Afri- 
can people, noticing even the necessaries and 
conveniences of life which we enjoyed, and of 
which they were destitute. I told him our most 
precious comforts were derived from the love 
of God, and an obedience to his commands, 
I spoke of the future judgment, when we- 
must all appear before God, to give an account 
of the deeds done here in the body, when, 
as our conduct had been good or bad in 
the sight of God, we should receive a sentence 
of approbation or condemnation ; that, though 
the body is laid in the grave, the soul lives, and 
will hereafter be united with the body, &c. &c. 
16^ 



186 MTEMOIR OF 

I urged the importance of worshipping God and 
not devils ; that God, v;ho was the possessor of 
the world, would be angry with any people who 
erected altars to devils, and would visit them in 
judgment; that the devil was only a creature, 
:and had no. more power than God gave him. I 
told him all in Christian countries were not 
good people : he had seen many from America 
and England who were bad men. Mr. K. 
named perhaps a dozen foreigners, with whom 
Couber had been acquainted, who were slave- 
traders, and bad men, who did not prosper, but 
died poor " and wretched, often leaving their 
children cast upon the world friendless and neg- 
lected. He said that the afiliciions which some 
of the natives suffered, were the judgments of 
God for their sins : here the leopard comes, and 
sometimes drives the people away from a town : 
a shark or an alligator catches a boy, and you 
say he was killed by a witch, and go and sell a 
whole family into slavery. Such things were 
not known in England or America. 

*' Kong Couber listened W'ith a serious coun- 
tenance and fixed attention. I could not but 
believe that he was impressed with a conviction 
of the truth of what was said. Mr. K. told 
Couber that he had been in Sherbro about 
twenty years, but he never knew two so good 
men come to it on so good an errand. 

*' We learn that the young men in this and 
the adjacent tovv'ns are in favor of the contem- 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 187 

plated colony : they think it will be a good 
thing for the country, and make them know 
more. The consent of the kings will probably 
be obtained for lands. 

** Since Mr. K. has been in this country, he 
has saved five or six persons from death ; some 
condemned for witchcraft, and some for crimes 
they never committed. Some of these were 
nearly dead by the excessive quantities of red 
water which they had been compelled to drink. 
He has sometimes paid 50 or 100 bars to save 
one from these superstitious murderers. He has 
also rescued fifteen or twenty persons from 
foreign slavery, sometimes by interposing his 
authority, but more commonly by purchase. He 
speaks of , a head man of vile charac- 
ter, who is en^aored in furnishinor slaves for the 
ships now at Gallinas, about 50 miles down tlie 
coast. It is asserted that seven or eicjht vessels 
are now lying oif that river, waiting for car- 
goes ; one of which unfurls the American flag, 
armed with twenty guns, and belonging to 

, who professes to be an American 

citizen. It is high time for the American gov- 
ernment to guard against the violation of their 
laws, at least by American citizens, and to in- 
terpose their authority to check this barbarous 
trarffic. 

'^ Yonie, Tdonclay^ 6tJi Aprils 1818. 
*' Safah and Somano have not arrived. Mr. 
K. has spent a part of the day with the king and 



188 MEMOIR OF 

people. He thinks we have a fair prospect of 
obtaining lands, both for a commercial town or 
towns, on the coast, and more extended settle- 
ments in the interior. We have been afraid to 
attack the superstitious customs of. the people, 
while our negotiations were pending : but they 
have always listened to us with attention ; and 
Mr. K. says they are pleased with the idea that 
our people will build churches for the worship 
of the true God, and will teach the children to 
read the words in God's book. 

** Mr. K. conducted our evening worship, and 
prayed earnestly for Africans, their descendants 
in foreign lands, the Colonization Society, their 
agents, &c. &c. He does not allow that this 
plan originated in America, but insists that it 
had its origin in heaven ; and he has much 
greater confidence than the Managers of the 
Colonization Society, that their plans, if pursued 
with prudence and vigor, will be completely suc- 
cessful. He has great influence in Sherbro, 
owns considerable tracts of land here, and is 
acknowledged by the natives to be a head man 
of the country. The districts of country on 
which we are fixing our thoughts, are recom- 
mended by a number of persons as the best for 
our objects on this part of the coast. They 
have good water, rapids in the rivers for mills, 
and a soil suited to rice, coffee, cotton, &c. 
We can see distinctly, as we lay off Yonie, the 
high range of mountains to the right of the Ba 
groo, perhaps twenty-five miles distant. 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 189 

^* We have no intelliorence from Safah and 
Somano. We must wait with patience on these 
people. Some years ago, a destructive war 
raged between Caulker and Cleveland, in which 
most of the Buliom people were enlisted on one 
side or the other. Sherbro was for Cleveland, 
Safah and Somano w^ere for Caulker. A cessa- 
tion of arms was effected by a governor of Si- 
erra Leone ; but his early death prevented the 
consummation of the treaty, and mutual jeal- 
ousies have existed ever since. They have not 
seen each other for years. Sherbro wishes to 
improve this opportunity to bring them together. 
As the country is common property, one dares 
not move until he knows the mind of the rest. 

'' Yonie, Tuesday, 7th April, 1818. 

*' Mr. Martin, D. and R. Caulker, and one of 
Sherbro's men, were sent on an embassy after 
Safah and Somano, and forbidden to sleep be- 
fore they returned. 

*' We have had much conversation on the or- 
ganization and government of the proposed colo- 
ny. The natives need not be feared. They 
are not numerous, have few arms, timid in dis- 
position, jealous of each other, and broken up 
into small, independent, elective governments. 
There is little reason to fear a general combina- 
tion among them, and their strength would be 
small if they should combine together. If the 
Sierra Leone colony should continue favorable, 
and throw no obstacles in our way, that will 



190 MEMOIR OP 

keep the native people in awe. Should our set- 
tlement prosper, it will in two or three years be 
fully competent to defend itself without aid from 
our country ; and previously to that time, a sin- 
gle armed sloop or brig, sent to execute the 
abolition laws, would give to our settlements 
perfect security. If the people were trouble- 
some, fire a big gun out in the bay, and they 
would all fly to the bush, and not an individual 
be found. 

'* Somano and Safah arrived to-day ; but an- 
other circumstance has occurred, which will de- 
lay our negotiations : one of Kong Couber's 
wives died this morning, and the cry for her 
may prevent his taking a part in the council for 
some days. 

'' Yojiie, Wednesday, StJi April, 1818. 
** We learn that some consultations respect- 
ing the dead, \n\\\ put off any palaver to-day. 
As our presence will not be required here to- 
day, we propose to sail down to the mouth of 
Shebar, which may properly be considered an 
outlet of Sherbro sound, about eight miles from 
Yonie. We presented to the head man a bottle 
of wine and a little tobacco. He knew and ap- 
proved the objects of our visit to this country. 
He said we were all brethren : some of the head 
men of the country (including himself) were the 
children of Europeans or Americans ; and it 
would be strange if they should drive away their 
brethren of whatever color, especially as they 



RET. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 191 

wanted such things as the country did not pro- 
duce, or they knew not how to manufacture, 
which our people would bring them. 

** We walked across the point to the beach, 
against which the surf beats with great violence 
and a perpetual roar. We could see ten or fif- 
teen miles towards Gallinas. The coast ap- 
peared low, covered with vegetation and lined 
with a beach of white sand. The whole penin- 
sula is sandy, covered with pullom and palm 
trees, shrubs, &c. We saw fields of cassada. 
We walked around the point to* the mouth of 
the Shebar. It is one mile wide. The bar is 
semi-circular, makino; a circuit of three or four 
miles. It has an island in the middle : the best 
channel is on the Sherbro Island side, having 
three and a half and four fathoms water at full 
tide. Schooners and brigs have come into the 
Shebar, but the attempt is hazardous. There 
are nine fathoms in souie places within the bar. 
We were anxious to cross the bar, to ascertain 
the soundings, but could not find a pilot. In 
the rainy season, the south-west winds raise the 
waves very high. 

'' Yonie, Thursdmj, 9th April, 1818. 
*' The kinoes meet this mornins: for consulta- 
tion. An additional present is necessary. Pa- 
tience may almost have her perfect work on the 
dispositions and hearts of those which wait on 
men so slothful in business, and so eao^er to 
receive the tribute of strangfers. 




y ff 



MEMOIR OF 

" I am not certain but Mr. Caulker, of the 
Bananas, would consent to receive some of our 
people on his island. It is a very pleasant place, 
has good water, and high land, and is open to 
the sea breeze. It produces, or is capable of 
producing, most of the articles found in tropical 
climates. It is above eight miles long and three 
broad, six miles from the main land. There is 
one strong objection, however, that the Sierra 
Leone colony lays some general claim to the 
islands, though Mr. C. does not acknowledge 
the validity of the claim. 

" The kings have been some hours in friendly 
consultation. They would not have embraced 
each other at this time, had not our visit and 
the mediation of Kizell brought them together. 
They have settled past difficulties, and are con- 
sulting on the subject of our application. They 
engage to see us and express their mind to- 
morrow. 

** We wish to ascertain, first, whether they 
will promise to the American Society or govern- 
ment, tracts of land, eligible, and sufficiently 
extensive, where our people of color may settle; 
and, secondly, on what conditions such tracts of 
land may be purchased or occupied. Should 
we succeed in these respects, we shall expect 
them to engage to favor and support the colony, 
so far as may be in their power. 

*^ Yesterday, when Mr. B. and Mr. K. w^ere 
on shore, condoling with Kong Couber on the 
death of one of his wives, Couber said, referring 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 193 

to US, * May the Lord bless you ; and as you 
came to this country with good wishes, may you 
find good things.' This appears to express 
confidence in our character, and approbation of 
our objects. 

'' Yonie, Friday, lOfli April, 1818. 
*' At 10, A. M. we were informed that the 
kings were ready to receive us in council. We 
went on shore, and found all assembled under 
the cola tree. Sherbro Was seated in his armed 
chair, with Somano on his right hand, and Safah 
on his left, holding the insignia of his office, the 
silver-headed cane and the horse-tail. Coaber 
sat on a mat before Sherbro. Mr. B., Mr. K., 
and myself, sat facing the kings. After shaking 
hands with the kings and princes, Mr. K. said, 
We are come. Couber replied. We see you ; we 
are glad ; we love you ; we do not hate you ; 
you are our strangers ; we love your country ; 
we are friends ; we love peace as you do ; war 
is not good, &/C. &c. But when you did come 
from the head men of your country to Sherbro, 
where is the letter you did bring to Sherbro ? 
We answered, that we had instructions to visit 
Sherbro, and consult with the kings of the 
country ; but as king Sherbro was not person- 
ally known in our country, no letter was addres- 
sed to him. He afterwards said, if we had 
come in our ship directly to Yonie, they could 
give us an answer ; and asked Mr. K. if his 
father, the Governor of Sierra Leone, did not 
17 



194 MEMOIR OF 

send him with us. Mr. K. said the Governor 

did not, as he was absent at the Gambia; and 
besides, the people of Sierra Leone were free 
men to go where they pleased, without asking 
their father. I replied, that we came to Sierra 
Leone, strangers to all ihe people, and finding 
our friends Kizell, Martin, and Anderson, to be 
acquainted with the language and kings of the 
country, we invited them to come with us. Mr. 
K. said, he had a letter from a frierid in England 
to assist us : besides, if strangers of king Sher- 
bro arrive at Sierra Leone, it was not fit to let 
them stand alone, but come and introduce them. 
** Kong Couber said, the country belongs to 
all the kings and people : we cannot sell land, 
unless we see them all. We in reply, urged the 
necessity of a definite answer, that we might 
carry their good words to our people ; or go to 
other kings, who would give us a good answer. 
We inquired whether the head men and people 
could not be assembled before we went away. 
Couber answered, it was the busy season of the 
year, rains were coming on, the people were 
clearing their plantations, and sowing their rice ; 
the kings were poor, and must work as well as 
the people ; the people could not be called to- 
gether, unless there was something to set before 
them, &c. &c. If we had goods to buy lands, 
and people to sit down, they would call the head 
men together. After much palaver and a forci- 
ble recapitulation of the objects of our visit, we 
inquired, What answer shall we carry to our 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 195 

people of color ? Will king Sherbro receive his 
children ? Yes : we cannot hale them ; we will 
receive them. 

** We proposed that we should have liberty to 
look about their country, and go to other kings 
on the coast, if we chose, without giving of- 
fence : they assented. They proposed that we 
should write Sherbro's words in two books ; 
leave one book with them, and take the other 
to our country. When we came back, or any 
others, from our head men, they should bring 
this book and a letter addressed to king Sher- 
bro : we assented. Couber said, our present 
was carefully preserved, and was at our com- 
mand. We answered, we freely gave it to king 
Shebro and the people. He inquired if we 
should consider it a payment for land ? We 
said, No. These people have so long dealt with 
rogues, that they cannot, without difficulty, trust 
honest men. 

" Yonie, Saturday, IXth April, 1818. 
** A number of the natives were present at 
our morning worship, and behaved with great 
propriety. Afterwards, 1 stated to them the 
fundamental trutlis of the Christian religion, 
and urL^ed on them the necessity of a Saviour 
for sinners, and the duty of a holy life. They 
assented to my words, and said, that they and 
their brethren believed that good men, when 
they died, went to God, and bad men to hell. 
Their convictions are less erroneous than their 



196 MEMOIR OF 

practice. The obstacles to the introduction of 
religious knowledge into this country, appear 
not to be so great as in many other heathen 
lands. 

*' When on shore to-day, we read to Kong 
Couber the book which we had written accord- 
ing to his suggestion. He said it was right ; the 
kings had agreed to do so, and their word 
might be relied on. But he said he was alone, 
and must not say much, lest the kings or people 
should say he was secretly selling the country 
without consulting them. 

** We repeated some of the advantages w^hich 
might flow from our settlements — the introduc- 
tion of the spinning-wheel, the loom, the plough, 
the machines for cleaning rice, and mills for 
sawing wood — the establishment of schools, &c. ; 
and endeavored to convince him that we did not 
want lands for white men, because w^e have vast 
uncultivated tracts in our country ; but for such 
of the descendants of Africans as might im- 
prove their situation by such a change. I ex- 
pressed to him a hope that the Africans would 
hereafter cultivate their lands better, build ships, 
and go to England and America wdth their 
ivory, rice, palm-oil, cotton, and coffee. We 
gave him an outline of Paul Cufiee's life, whose 
father was an African. 

*' Kong Couber offered to send two of his 
sons to America for an education, in any Ameri- 
can ship which might come to Sherbro on this 
business. It will no doubt have a good effect 



REV. SAMUEL 3. MILLS. 197 

on the minds of the people here, if any vessel 
should visit this country to carry into effect the 
plan of the Colonization Society, that some of 
the upright and influential men of color should 
come out. They could look at the country, 
and speak for themselves. The natives would 
see that they were their brethren and friends. 

" In attempting to obtam lS.nds of the kings, 
we have had to encounter only such objections 
as we anticipated. They have had to deal with 
the worst class of white men, who have often 
committed the grossest acts of violence and in- 
justice. In 1806, a slave-trader made some 
presents to old king Sherbro and the people, 
and allured the old king and some of the princes 
on board his ship, off the Shebar. He would 
not then liberate them, except with much un- 
kind treatment, and in exchange for many 
slaves. 

** They know that we are decidedly opposed 
to the slave-trade, which some of them would 
relinquish with reluctance. Their convictions 
and better judgment are against it. They know 
that the people of color are very numerous in 
our country ; and it has occurred to them, that 
so many may come as to give laws to this land. 
This they fear. They appear not to care that 
their superstitious customs will be disregarded ; 
but on the contrary, have always expressed an 
approbation that the great God should be wor- 
shipped, and their children should learn to read 
his book. They do not like to say we may 
17* 



198 MEMOIR OF 

have any particular tracts of country, through 
fear of offence to head men who have not been 
consulted. 

'' Yonie, Sabbath, 12th April, 1818. 

'^ The good hand of our God preserves us in 
peace and safety. The sun does not smite us 
by day, nor the moon by night. The heat is 
oppressive only a few hours in the day. The 
air is .cooled by the sea-breeze. The thermome- 
ter is lower than often on a summer day in the 
United States. The atmosphere is hazy or 
cloudy much of the time. 

'* This morning we sung the psalm, *' Sweet 
is the work, my God, my King ;" and I made 
some observations on the fourth commandment, 
** Remember the Sabbath-day.^' 

" We have thought much of going into the 
different villages, and, by an interpreter, preach- 
ing to the people. But we are unwilling to take 
any step which might excite their superstitious 
fears, and lead them to oppose our plans. We 
came not to establish a solitary church, but to 
lay the foundation for thousands of churches. 
We have had conversation with the chief men 
on the truths of the Christian religion, and have 
had many of the people at different times to 
worship with us on board the ship. This has 
been a quiet day, and much more like a Sabbath 
than many 1 have spent in Christian lands. 

** W^e arrived at the mouth of the Boom, at 
seven in the evening. As it was dark, the wind 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 199 

fresh, and the bay wide, we stopped at the little 4 
village Runta ; and the head man, of whom we J 
hired our canoe, hospitably furnished us with / 
his house. The room and bedstead was hung 
around with curtains of mats, curiously wrought. 
We sle{)t comfortably. We called at this vil- 
lage as we went up yesterday morning. It is a 
romantic little spot. Twelve or fifteen houses 
stand close together ; a narrow avenue to the 
bay gives access to the sea-breeze : palm, 
orange, cocoa-nut, banana, and plantain trees, 
overshadow the houses. Sugar-canes, cotton 
shrubs, and cassada plants, grow on each side 
the path which leads to a few rice helds just 
behind ; then the whole is closely encircled 
with forest trees and wild vines of the richest 
foliage. Were it the abode of innocence, it 
might be esteemed a garden of Eden. The 
chief man is gaining wealth, and lives comforta- 
bly. He vvill probably be considered a king in 
the country in a few years. 

^^ Slierhro Bay^ Wednesday ^ IbtJi April, 1818. 
*' At day-light, we put our company in mo- 
tion, and crossed the bay in safety, to our 
schooner, off Yonie. We went on shore to 
take leave of Kon^ Couber. Kinsf Sherbro and 
the second prince, Teng-Bang, were out of town ; 
the one at his salt-works, and the other at his 
rice plantation. Kong Couber inquired with 
apparent solicitude when we should return. 
We told him it was doubtful whether either of 



200 MEMOIR OF 

US would ever return — our country was far off. 
He said, we must return ; the people knew us, 
and there was a good understanding between us 
and the head men. If we came back to-morrow 
in the manner we proposed, the head men 
would meet, and the business be settled. We 
told him it was probable some people from our 
country would visit Sherbro in one year ; and if 
we were alive in our country, we would send 
letters and presents, which would convince 
Kong Couber that we remembered his kindness. 
He gave us a goat for our men, and twfx mat s 
for our fathers in America. He walked along 
the shore with us, and, giving us his hand, said 
in English, * May God bless you, and give you 
a good voyage to your country.' While we 
gave sail to our little schooner, he sat down by 
the shore, under an orange tree, apparently 
pensive and melancholy. This prince is con- 
scious of the depressed condition of his people, 
and the barbarous state of his country. He 
sighs for their improvement. He has, in times 
past, complained to Mr. K., that his father did 
not send him to England for an education ; and 
has almost wished he had been sold as a slave, 
into America, like Mr. K., if he could only have 
acquired learning, and lived to return back to 
Africa. He has told his people, that if we came 
back to live there, he should drink wine only, 
and no more rum, because rum turned the head, 
and made men fools. I am not certain but 
Missionaries of prudence, self-denial, and Chris- 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 201 

tian zeal, might spend their lives usefully here. 
There would be no want of children to instruct. 
Couber, and perhaps some other head men, 
may be confided in. Serious obstacles must be 
anticipated. Slave-traders have made even 
savages mote vicious. The people are gene- 
rally idle, superstitious, self-indulgent, and fond 
of ardent spirits. Polygamy is nearly universal. 
** At 11, A. M. we anchored offBendou, and 
sent our compliments to Somano. We rested a 
few minutes under the shade of a large orange 
tree, loaded with oranges of a full size. A lime 
tree stood near, whose branches were literally 
bent down with fruit. Somano, Safah, and 
their people, were assembled in the Palaver- 
house. The head woman, or queen, had re- 
cently been accused of witchcraft. She had 
drank the red water, and escaped without in- 
jury. This proved her innocence. Within a 
few days, her people had killed an elephant. 
This is considered a lucky omen, and a testi- 
mony of the favor of the gods. Hence, she 
brought forward a charge of false accusation for 
witchcraft, and a demand of reparation. This 
was the subject of palaver. All the people were 
sitting around to witness the progress of the de- 
bate, and anxious about the result. The men 
who had distinguished themselves in killing the 
elephant, with their wives, occupied prominent 
seats. They were dressed and ornamented with 
more richness and elegance than any I ever saw 
in Africa. 



202 MEMOIR OF 

'' Deong River, Thursday, \(Sth April, 1818. 
** At 9, A. M. we crossed the bay about five 
or six miles to the month of the Deong, passing 
two places near the beach where the people 
were boiling salt. The shores of the bay, and 
the islands, are girt around with mangroves. 
The soil is black mud, liable to be overflowed 
by the tide, especially in the rainy season. The 
mouth of the river is, at the least, a mile wide. 
It enters the bay from the east, and preserves 
the same general direction about twenty miles, 
when it flows from the north of east. Like the 
Boom, the Deong has a series of islands extend- 
ing up 20 or 25 miles, which divides the river 
into two channels. We ascended the right 
branch, which is not so wide and navigable as 
the left. About 10 miles up, w^e came to land 
on the right bank, not liable to be overflowed in 
the rains. Near this, a small stream comes in 
from the right, which flows along Soyarrah's 
territory. Here the water in the river becomes 
fresh. There is a large ledge of rocks in the 
middle of the river. We directed our men to 
paddle towards it, to which they were wholly 
averse, believing that some evil spirits lived 
there, who would punish their temerity. We 
laid our commands upon them, when they yield- 
ed with reluctance, and threw water into the air 
with their hands, as if to appease the wrath of 
these local demons. The ledge is common free- 
stone, of considerable extent, and a few feet 
above the surface. Mr. K. said the natives 



REV. SAMUEL 3, MILLS. 203 

have a tradition that these rocks have crossed 
and re-erossed the river, sometimes above and 
sometimes below the water, to the alarm and 
astonishment of all the country. 

*' This country has seen better days. Its 
population was once much greater. The rav- 
ages of war and the slave-trade are no where 
more visible than in this river. Towns have 
been burnt, hamlets are deserted. In these 
relics of villages the people salute us as we pass 
by, and make many inquiries. ^ 

'' Deong River, Friday, 17tli April, 1818. 

** Will Comberbuss, a fine old man, on whom 
we called a few miles back, expressed a differ- 
ent opinion : he said, * It would be a very good 
thing for the country, if our people would come 
and bring knowledge : the land would produce 
rice, cotton, coffee, tobacco, and all good things, 
but the people did not know.^ 

*' We crossed the bay, with a fresh wind 
against us, occasionally dashing the waves into 
the canoe, and arrived at our little schooner at 
9, P. M., somewhat weary, wet, and hungry. 

** Sherhro Sound, Saturday^ IStJi April, 1818. 
*' We sailed from York island eight or ten 
miles, and anchored off Campelar, a little village 
belonging to Mr. Kizell. We saw a brother-in- 
law, whom Mr. K. rescued from foreign slavery 
at much expense — a man of native intelligence 
and a good aspect. We had a tornado to-day : 



204 MEMOIR OF 

it is a violent gust of wind, of short duration, 
usually attended 'with rain, lightning, and thun- 
der. 

'' Sabbath, I9th April, 1818. 
'* Darkness, gross darkness, covers the nations 
around us : but this darkness shall be dispelled : 
the Sun of Righteousness will yet arise upon 
them, with healing in his beams. In this con- 
sideration we do rejoice, and we will rejoice. 

'' Tuesdaij, list April, 1818. 
^^ We have been waiting almost with impa- 
tience for the king of Fara. We are hoping to 
finish our inquiries, and leave this part of the 
coast, late in May, or early in June, before the 
rains are fully set in. The w^eather, since our 
arrival in Africa, has hitherto been quite pleas- 
ant, except the heat, occasionally rather oppres- 
sive. The tornado this evening was severe : 
the wind blew hard a half an hour, and some 
rain fell. We perceive many appearances of 
distant thunder-storms, especially towards even- 
ing. 

'' Wednesday, 22d April, 1818. 

'^ Our canoe returned this mornino^ with the 
king of Fara. His people were rather unwilling 
to let him leave his town. 

** A canoe with twelve persons, from Bendou 
to the Plantain Islands, stopped along-side. 
Two women appeared to be the principal per- 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 205 

sonages. Some of the women have very amiable 
and intelligent faces. The Africans generally 
appear cheerful and happy. Some of the canoes 
will carry forty persons, and sail about this bay 
at all seasons of the year, with entire safety. 
Sometimes they spread a mat for a sail. Some 
use oars, but they generally use paddles. This 
land was once more populous. It is doubtful 
whether the population is now increasing, though 
the proportion of small children is very large. 
I think I never saw so great as proportion of 
healthy, active children in any country. Great 
numbers of the youth and the middle-aged are 
in foreign lands, while the relics of old age, the 
head men, and throngs of young children, are 
le/t behind. 

^' Fara pretends to be waiting for his principal 
men. He is making inquiries of our interpret- 
ers respecting our objecrs. We may well con- 
fide in their representations : they are faithful 
men, and deeply interested in our success. 

*' Fara mentioned to Mr. K. a surprising phe- 
nomenon, of which he desired an explanation. 
A large tree, by a public path, well known to 
have lain on the ground some years, has lately 
risen up, stands firm and erect, and grows green 
and luxuriant. Mr. K., after some consideration, 
said he thought he could explain it. He said, 
* King Fara, his people, and bis country, have 
long been prostrated and lain in the dust. They 
are now beginning to rise, and if they encourage 
these people to come from America, we hope 
18 



206 MEMOIR OF 

they will help to give them wisdom and strength.' 
Fara looked grave at the explanation, and thought 
it might be so. 

'' Thursdaij, 2Sd April, 1818. 
*' We had an interview with Fara, and made 
a brief statement of our objects and wishes, 
which he well understood. Rango, the chief 
speaker, replied in a very appropriate manner: — 
* We hear you ; we like your words : may God 
bless you, give you health and long life : may he 
bless Kizell, Martin, and the Caulkers too, be- 
cause they were good in coming to introduce 
you. We shall not say much now : Fara, you 
see, is young, a boy ; he will stand behind Sher- 
bro, and will speak the same word as his father. 
We have not talked Vv^ith Sherbro — you have ; 
you have seen Caulker, Tucker, Soyarrah, &lc. 
— they have offered you lands : — which do you 
fancy most ? When a man wants a wife, and 
goes to a father who has many daughters, he 
tells the father which he likes best,' &:.c. We 
told him that we had not seen all parts of the 
country yet, and were not prepared to make a 
selection ; nor could we let the kings know our 
choice until we should return from our country. 
He said, we * were at liberty to go any where : 
the country was large : many parts where no 
people lived were very good land — the banks of 
the Yaltucker were fertile, and had few people : 
the Bagroo country was wide and vacant.' He 
thanked us for our present, and Mr. K. for 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 207 

bringing us to Sherbro. He said he knew we 
should write all his words in our books ; so we 
must hear true and write straight, (laying his tx 
palaver brush flat and straight on the ground.) 
They said, ** it was a custom of their country, 
when strangers came, to pour a little wine on 
the graves of their fathers, and say * Good stran- 
gers have come to us : O bless good strangers,' 
&c. ; and they wanted a little wine to pour at the 
root of the tree, once fallen, now standing 
erect.'' We told them their intimation would 
not be forcrotten ; and havino^ taken an affec- 
tionate leave of them, we returned on board, 
and sent them a bottle of wine, rather to bedew 
their royal lips, than to sprinkle the ashes of 
their fathers, or irrigate the marvellous tree. 

*' 3Tano River, Fridaij, 2ith April, 1818. 
" We took a canoe to make an excursion up 
the Mano. This branch of the Ba^roo is three 
and a half and four fathoms deep. It has low 
banks about two miles, and covered with man- 
groves, with the exception of one place, one 
mile up, on the right hand. Here we stopped 
to lay the plan of a town. The land gradually 
rises back twenty-five or thirty feet, is sufficient- 
ly supplied with stone for building or other pur- 
poses, and is covered with fine large timber of 
various qualities. The Mano mountain, or a 
ridge of it, terminates abruptly on the left bank 
just above, which adds much to the rude scene- 
ry of the spot. The ground is hard and dry. 



208 MEMOIR OF 

covered with six or eight inches of vegetable 
mould. Six miles above, the hills on the rip^ht 
bank are cleared to a great extent, for rice. 
The soil did not appear to be deep. On the 
opposite bank stands the village of Mano. Here 
is an abundance of stone, convenient for laying 
the foundation of forges, mills, and water- works 
of any description. There is an abundance of 
large, hard timber, above the rapids, and along 
the banks. Indeed, the country is a forest. 
There are evident appearances of iron ore in 
many places. We crossed a fine rivulet of very 
cool and pure water, descending from the hill, 
and flowing over a bottom of gravel and sand. 
We went up the hill to see the rice plantations. 
The country back appeared to be high land, 
agreeably undulating, and covered with forest. 
For health and comfort it appears very inviting, 
though the soil is not so fertile, nor so easy of 
tillage, as on the banks, and in the low lands. 

'* On our return, we stopped at Mano. All 
the people in this river appeared most friendly 
and kind. They expressed great satisfaction at 
our words, and eager to see our people come, if 
they would be kind, and bring God's book. We 
said that persons must be sent with our people 
to establish schools for the children, and to in- 
struct the people. They said they should be 
glad. One man, whose hair and beard were, 
white with age, said, he wished it could be now : 
it was much wanted in the country — ^he wished 
to hear more about God's book before he died. 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 209 

It is certainly surprising that there should be 
such a desire among the people to hear the book 
of God, and to have their children instructed to 
read. There is just reason to hope that the 
principles of our holy religion would be em- 
braced by many in this country, if they were 
instructed in them. 

*' It seems desirable to obtain this country to 
the right of the Mano. It is high and airy. It 
extends back 80 or 90 miles to the Timmannee 
country. It is called a good country by 'those 
who have travelled over it. A brook is spoken 
of, which empties into the Mano, one or two 
miles above the rapids, and extencls far into the 
interior. The whole country, after we leave the 
little villages on the Mano, has no inhabitants 
until we reach the Timmannees. Its extent, 
vacant population, and probable fertility, render 
it highly eligible. To this might be added the 
peninsula, between the Ba,groo and Mano rivers, 
which will include the Mano mountain, as the 
other tract does the Perra mountain. These 
alone form a vacant region of 3000 square miles, 
and capable of supporting, with very moderate 
culture, a population of 20,000. It includes 
mountains, rivers, forests, rapids, and springs 
of water. The Bagroo will admit vessels of a 
good size to the mouth of the Mano; and the 
Mano, especially at high tide, or in the rainy 
season, has three and four fathoms water, nearly 
to the rapids, above the village Mano. Another 
vacant and fertile tract lies north of the Boom 
1^* 



210 MEMOIR OF 

river. Perhaps this should be preferred to the 
other. Except where the towns stand, any part 
of the country may be bought in exchange for 
goods, nearly on our own terms. 

*' Bagroo River, Saturday, 25th April, 1818. 

*' We floated up with the tide from the mouth 
of the Mano to the village Tasso, on the left 
bank, perhaps ten miles. As we sailed up, w^e 
passed two little villages on the left, and the 
Mano mountain on the riorht. This mountain 
has a very interesting appearance, covered with 
forest, having usually a gradual ascent, and pre- 
senting eligible places for buildings, and for 
small tovvns, if the soil should prove favorable 
for agriculture. Just below Tasso, and on the 
same side, is a trading establishment, called 
Liverpool, now under the superintendence of a 
Mr. Jones, one of the first settlers of Sierra 
Leone. He has lived here with a considerable 
family of children, and granchildren, for some 
years. He and his son appear to be sensible. 
Christian men, and anxious to see their brethren 
in America return to this country. 

'' Sabbath, 26th April, 1818. 

'* We lay off Tasso. Somango is the head 
man. The village has 30 houses. The people 
are said to be very wicked and superstitious, 

** Mr. K. saw Somango towards evening, and 
stated to him our general objects. He appeared 
friendly ; but he told Mr. K. when strangers 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 211 

came, they gave him wine or rum. Mr. K. said, 
that slave-traders gave rum, to make them quar- 
rel and sell each other ; this was what they 
w^anted : but the strangers he had brou^rht, 
came to open their eyes, and not to blind them, 
and hoped to find and leave them sober, that 
they might be able to give a true answer, and 
speak good words. 

'' Bagroo River, 3Tonday, 27tJi April, 1818. 

^^ vSomango has gone to Robanna, to consult 
with Sologo, and to invite him to l^asso. Solo- 
go is quite aged, and is considered the principal 
man in this river. 

" I took the boat and went up the Bagroo. 
Mangroves still line the banks. We had con- 
versation with a Mr. Wilson, at Liverpool, who 
is a man of color, formerly of Boston, or Balti- 
more. He is a ship-carpenter, and came out 
from Boston to Sierra Leone about four years 
ago. He said it was best for the people of 
color, who are now in America, to come to this 
country. He said that houses, built in the style 
of the natives, at 10 or 12 dollars each, 10 feet 
by 15 or 20, would be best, just in the infancy 
of the colony. Carpenters, and all mechanics, 
should come from America. If they could not 
work the whole day at first, they could work a 
part of the day, and superintend the business. 
He said he gave more than 100 dollars, at Sierra 
Leone, for the frame only of a small wooden 
house. The carpenters of Sierra Leone charge 



212 MEMOIR OF 

a dollar a day : three or four of them would not 
do more work in a day than one in the United 
States. He said that one kind of the man- 
groves, hard, tall, and straight, would make very 
good house-timber. 

'^ Mr. K. said that if a place were selected 
for a colony, he could see fifty or an hundred 
acres of land cleared in a short time, and houses, 
constructed in the country style, to accommo- 
date the first settlers. The expense of clearing 
the land might be about six dollars an acre. 

'^ The young Mr. J. said that he had travelled 
through the Bagroo country to the I'immannees, 
between two and three days' journey, and could 
strongly recommend it to us. It was high, 
supplied with brooks and springs, having suffi- 
cient stone for building and other purposes, and 
richly covered with forest trees, which sufficient- 
ly indicated a good soil. — He said the Bagroo 
was the most extensive district in Sherbro, and 
was without inhabitants. 

'' Wednesday, 29th April 1818. 

*^ As Somanoro does not return, and there is 
no advantage arising from a delay at Tasso, we 
conclude to go down the river, and call at Ro- 
banna, where Somango is now engaged in con- 
sultations with Sologo. 

" y\^e have become so far acquainted with the 

country, as to satisfy ourselves that there is 

much good land unoccupied by any people, and 

hat it has good water. The climate we believe 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 213 

Will be deemed as temperate as that of any part 
of the coast between the Senegal and the equa- 
tor. We do not see why it may not be a 
healthy country, as it has moiuuains and high 
ridges of land. The Mano has high banks a 
few miles above its mouth, though the Bagroo 
banks below this are wholly covered with man- 
groves. The ridges of land are open to the sea- 
breeze. Brooks and springs may be found in 
almost any direction. Mills may be erected on 
the Mano, 

'^ The natives believe in the existence of a 
supreme God, v/ho is great and good, but indif- 
ferent to the concerns of men. It is their con- 
cern to secure the favor and avert the displeas- 
ure of certain inferior malignant spirits, whom 
they imagine to be continually attendant on 
their persons, and to be the authors of all their 
evils. They place great confidence in their 
gregrees or amulets. They have sacred groves, 
trees, and huts. They occasionally strew fruits 
about their towns, or spread mats by the public 
.paths, as offerings to the invisible spirits. They 
sometimes make prayers on the graves of their 
fathers, or under their sacred trees. Though 
they may sometimes pay a kind of homage to 
the supreme God, yet their ideas of him are 
very indistinct. The true light has never shone 
upon them. One who was present the other 
day at our social worship, afterwards said to a 
friend, ' that he never knew before that white 
men prayed.' 



214 MEMOIR OF 

''These three days Mr. B. has been quite 
unwell. In the afternoon and evening he has a 
high fever. It appears to have been brought 
on by too much fatigue in our excursions up 
the Deong and Mano rivers, and by too great 
exposure to the sun. He complains of severe 
pains in the head, and general disquietude. He 
has little sound sleep. He certainly needs 
medical aid and better attention than we can 
give him on board this little schooner. On his 
account I am anxious to return directly to Sier- 
ra Leone ; but he thinks there is as fair a 
prospect of his recovery here as at the colony. 
He considers it very important that I should see 
Sologo and Pa Poosoo, and says a slight flush 
of the fever ought not to prevent it. 

'' Friday, 1st May, 1818. 
^' Soon after sunrise, we set out in our canoe 
to go up the Banga as far as Bandasuma, on a 
visit to Pa Poosoo, the head man. Soon after 
our arrival at Bandasuma, we had an interview 
with Pa Poosoo, who expressed great satisfaction 
with our desio^ns. As some of his men whom 
he wished to consult were out of town, he sent 
for them, and waited for their return. It rained 
very hard late in the afternoon, and was cloudy 
until night. After sunset, having consulted with 
his principal men, Pa Poosoo made known to us 
that he was ready to give us an answer. We 
assembled at the king's house. A wax candle 
was burning in the wall. The king's brother 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 215 

said, (in reference to myself and Mr. B., who 
was unable to come with us,) * May God bless 
you ; and as you came in health to this country, 
may you return in health to your own. We are 
glad to hear what you say : we like it well. 
'J'he old people among us wish you had come 
before. They are now afraid they will die too 
soon. They want to see the time when the 
people will come to this country to teach the 
children to read and write, and to know the 
true God. The king says 1 must tell you he 
likes your object much ; and if the other kings 
call him to say what is in his he'^rt, he shall 
say, Give the people land. We know you come 
with a good mind, because Mr. K. brings you, 
and he is a friend to our country. The old 
people will die fools ; but if these people come 
from America, the children will turn and know 
more than their fathers. But they were afraid 
the people would not come, and it would never 
be as they said. There was much good land 
where no people lived.' I inquired what part of 
the country would be best for the people when 
they should come to settle ? They replied, When 
a man was looking for a wife, he would not like 
to have another to select for him. They asked 
in return, what part of the country pleased us 
most? I replied, that we wished to see more 
of it, before we fixed on any part. They after- 
wards said, if they were to choose the place, 
they would say, Bring the people to our town. 
Pa Poosoo is nearly 70 years old, of a pleasant 



216 MEMOIR OF 

countenance, and grod character. We staid 
over night. More rain fell. 

''■ Saturday^ 2d May, 1818. 

'* We prepa^red to return early. Pa Poosoo 
thanked us for our present, and gave us two 
jeopard skins in return. We took an affection- 
ate leave of the kind old man. His town is 
pleasantly situated on a point of land, formed 
by the junction of the Banga and Bandasuma^ 
and contains 80 cottages. The ground is very 
productive, though the soil does not appear to 
be very rich. It has an abundant growth of 
trees, shrubs, and vines. The Banga has one 
considerable branch making off to the left, as 
we ascended. It has also many outlets, or deep 
muddy creeks, one of which connects it with 
the Bagroo, just below the mouth of the Mano. 

" Since we left Sierra Leone, we have had 
land offered us by T. Caulker, on the Cama- 
ranca ; by J. Tucker, on the Boom; by the 
king of Cotton, on the Deong ; by Fara, on the 
Bagroo, or the Yaltucker ; and by Fa Poosoo, 
on the Banga. The Bagroo presents one of the 
best places for the commencement of a colony 
in this part of Africa. It mi^ht soon extend to 
the right of the Mano, tovi^ards the Perra moun- 
tains ; and then, if desired, it might have liberty 
to spread back into the interior 50 or 80 miles. 
The country is unoccupied — has good water— is 
dry, and agreeably uneven. 

*' We reached our schooner at 10, A. M., and 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 217 

made preparations to leave the river. We 
found that some of our crew had been to the 
oyster bank, and gathered two boat loads, which 
were a sufficient quantity to supply JO or 12 
men a week. 

** We daily see the smoke of several fires, 
where the natives are clearing the ground for 
rice. This has been a common and a pleasing 
spectacle, while we have been in the country. 

*' Banana Islands^ Tuesday, 5tli 3Ia.y, 1818. 
'^ Early this morning we called at the Banana 
islands, and restored to Mr. Caulker his mes- 
sengers, who have attended us the v/hole circuit. 
The young men have behaved well, while they 
have been with us, and one of them has made 
some progress in the first rules of arithmetic. 

" Sierra Leone, Thursday, Itli May, 1818. 
*' We arrived to-day, and took lodgings with 
the Rev. Mr. Brown, a worthy Missionary of 
the Wesleyan Pvlethodist connexion. 

'^ Sierra Leone, Saturday, 9th May, 1818. 

*' I called on Governor Macarthy. He re- 
ceived me in a very friendly manner, and offered 
us any assistance in his power. He expressed 
a confidence in the benevolent views of the 
American Society. 

** A Danish ship arrived to-day, having on 
board a nobleman, who was a late Governor of 
one of the Danish forts on the Gold coast. He 
19 



218 MEMOIR OF 

is now on his return from Denmark to his 
station. 

*' We have spent some time with the Rev, 
Mr. Aylander, a Missionary of the Church Mis- 
sionary Society, whose name is familiar in the 
United States. He is an intelligent, meek, and 
devout man. He mourns over the inefficacy of 
his labors among the natives. Tears stood in 
his eyes while he described the state of the 
people, and spoke of the small fruits which he 
was allowed to witness of the usefulness of his 
labors. All the Missionaries here are Christian 
men, and entitled to the confidence and prayers 
of good people throughout the earth. 

*' Captain Appleton sailed to-day, to enter up- 
on the duties of his office, as commandant of 
St. Mary's, in the Gambia. 

'/ Sierra Leone, Sahhatli, 10/A May, 1818. 
" There is a great degree of regularity among 
the people of this place. There does not seem 
to be any labor on this day, and a large propor- 
tion are regular attendants on the worship of 
God. The untractable Kroo-men Vv^ill indeed 
indulge in their wrestlings and other sports on 
the beach, notwithstanding past attempts to 
check them. I heard a sermon from the Rev. 
Mr. Garnon, the colonial chaplain, and another 
from the Rev. Mr. Brown. There are founda- 
tions laid for three houses of worship in Free- 
town. They will be constructed of stone, large 
and durable. These edifices and churches. 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 219 

which have been built and are building, prove 
the permanence of the colony, and are a pledge 
of its future prospects. 

*' Sierra Leone, Tuesday^ }2fh Blay, 1818. 
^' I called on the Danish Governor, and 
showed him Count Schimmelman's letter to us. 
He esteemed the objects of our embassy hu- 
mane, important, and adapted to promote the 
best interests of Africans. He did not conceive 
that colonies of the American people of color 
would, in the least, interfere with any existing 
European establishment; on the Contrary, they 
might aid each other, and combine their efforts 
to civilize and instruct the African nations. 
Agriculture and commerce would naturally in- 
crease with the number of settlements, which 
had these objects in view. He had been on the 
coast five years, and considered the high lands 
healthy. He had been invited by the Bishop of 
Copenhagen to translate the Bible into the lan- 
guage of Acra, and he expressed his determina- 
tion to-execute the work, which he had already 
beofun. 

'^Sierra Leone, Monday, ISth May, 1818. 
^* I have now visited most of the villages in 
the colony. The population of the colony is 
nearly twelve thousand. The schools are in a 
flourishing state, accommodating nearly two 
thousand children. Each village has a superin- 
tendent, who is a clergyman or schoolmaster. 



220 MEM0IK ©F 

Each village has a place of worship, where 
prayers are made, morning and evening, in the 
presence of the people. The Sabbath is observ- 
ed through the colony. 

" The Governor is justly esteemed as a father 
and patron of the colony. He makes great ex- 
ertions for its improvement. 

** Respecting an American colony, he has at 
different times expressed the following opinions, 
which I am the more disposed to write down, as 
some of them deserve particular consideration : — 
That a private society can hardly be expected 
to have adequate funds to found and support a 
colony without the aid of the government: that, 
in the first instance, white men of intelligence 
and good character should occupy some of the 
principal offices : that the government should be 
mild and energetic : that forts would be neces- 
sary : that one hundred men, with arms, and 
some knowledge of discipline, could defend 
themselves from the natives : that the occasional 
visits of an armed vessel, engaged in detecting 
slave-traders, would give entire security : that 
the neutrality of a colony could easily be insured 
by an application to the European governments: 
that the first colonists should be men of sober 
and industrious habits, who will devote them- 
selves to agriculture or to some of the useful 
mechanic arts : that one year's provisions, or 
the means of purchasing them, would be neces* 
sary to the colonists : that, if expedient, the 
limits of this colony might be enlarged to ae- 



RET. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 221 

commodate five or ten thousand emicyrants from 
America : that it was particularly proper for the 
American government to commission an armed 
ship to visit this coast, to capture slave-trading 
vessels, as two thirds of them are, or have been, 
American : that the free people of color would 
be better situated in Africa, than they are, or 
can soon expect to be, in America. 

*' I am every day more convinced of the prac- 
ticability and expediency of establishing Ameri- 
can colonies on this coast. 

" Brig Success, Friday, 22d May, 1818. 
** We have taken an affectionate leave of the 
clergymen, the civil officers, and the colonists, 
of Sierra Leone. We are embarked for the 
United States, by way of England ; and the con- 
tinent of Africa recedes from our \ie\vJ^ 



The preceding journal bears intrinsic evi- 
dence of unwearied labor and sound judgment 
in the execution of this important agency. The 
view which the Colonization Society entertained 
of the faithfulness of their agents, and the suc- 
cess of their investigations, may be gathered 
from their annual report, in 1819, in which they 
say, ** The recent Mission to Africa leaves no 
further room to doubt that a suitable territory 
on the coast of that continent may be obtained 



%%2 MEMOIR OF 

for the Gontempiated colony, at a less expense 
than had been anticipated." It had been well as- 
certained, that a colony planted on that coast, was 
an event earnestly desired by the native tribes 
and chiefs ; and there was every pledge of secu- 
rity against hostile operations. This valuable 
document likewise states with confidence, that 
** continued assurances have been received by 
the Board of Managers, in the last year, of the 
readiness of many of the free people of color in 
the United States to avail themselves of their 
contemplated asylum, whenever n suitable terri- 
tory for its erection shail have been procured. 
These have proceeded from ihe most enlighten- 
ed of this class of persons, comprehending indi- 
viduals engaged in alUthe occupations of civil 
life, dispersed throughout the United States, 
and in sufficient number to form the basis of a 
respectable colony. To these assurances have 
been added the repeated declara.tions of several 
proprietors of their readiness to emancipate the 
w'hole, or a part of their slaves, whenever a 
suitable abode in Africa shall have been provi- 
ded for them, upon condition that they shall 
repair to it." 

The following communication from a Com- 
mittee of the Colonization Society to Congress, 
as it presents an outline of the object of the 
Society, and a grateful testimonial in favor of a 
man whose life was sacrificed to the interest of 
Africa^ the reader will peruse with interest. 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 223 

*' To the Hon. Henry Clay, Speaker of the 
House of Representatives , 
" SrR, — In obedience to instructions from the 
American Society for Colonizing the Free Peo- 
ple of Color of the United States, we beg leave 
to lay before Congress some account of the 
measures pursued by the Society for accom- 
plishing the great objects of its institution ; and 
the result of their inquiries and researches after 
such facts and information as might most clearly 
demonstrate how far any scheme of coloniza- 
tion, dependent for its success upo^ the interior 
state of Africa, and upon the actual condition 
and disposition of her native tribes, might be 
practicable, and also enable the founders of the 
intended colony to make the most prudent and 
judicious selection of a situation for it. Jn order 
to obtain the most recent and accurate informa- 
tion, from sources of the most unquestionable 
authority, the Society sent out, at great expense, 
two agents, Mr. Mills and Mr. Burgess, who 
have proved themselves eminently qualified for 
the undertaking. The agents first visited Eng- 
land, with a view to acquire such preparatory 
instruction in the most efficacious mode of pur- 
suing the objects of their Mission, as the great 
mass of rare, valuable, and authentic information 
collected in that country, from various sources, 
might afford them. They proceeded from Eng- 
land to the west coast of Africa, where they 
prosecuted their researches with such zoal, in- 
dustry, and intelligence, as to have contributed 



224 MEMOIR OF 

essentially to the illustration of many important 
and interesting facts, connected with the geog- 
raphy, climate, soil, and products, of that part 
of the continent ; and with the habits, manners, 
social institutions, and domestic economy of its 
inhabitants. From the information thus obtain- 
ed, the present period would seem to be desig- 
nated, by a combination of favorable circum- 
stances, as the fortunate crisis for reducing to 
the test of practical experiment those views and 
objects of the Society, which have already met 
so encouracrinoj a notice from Cono^ress ; and 
upon the comprehensive utility and beneficence 
of which (abstracted from any doubts of their 
being susceptible of practical execution,) no 
question seems to be entertained in any quarter. 
*' The present facilities for acquiring the re- 
quisite territory from the native tribes, in situa- 
tions combining every advantage of salubrious 
and temperate climate with fertile soil ; the 
pacific and humanized temper of mind prevail- 
ing among these tribes ; their existing prepos- 
sessions in favor of the expected colonists from 
America; the actual settlement in that part of 
Africa, of some prosperous, intelligent, and well- 
disposed emigrants from among the free people 
of color in this country ; and the state of general 
peace, so favorable to enterprizes of benevo- 
lence and utility, wholly unconnected with any 
political schemes of territorial or commercial ag- 
grandizement; — all together form a conjuncture, 
which must prove decisive of the success of an 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 225 

immediate experiment. But upon any perma- 
nent continuance of so favorable a state of thincrs, 
no human wisdom or foresight can calculate, 
with any reasonable certainty, if the present 
opportunity be not adequately improved. 

^* It is now reduced to the single question, 
whether the undertaking shall be adopted and 
patronized by the government, so as to become 
essentially national in its means and its objects ; 
or whether its ultimate success is to depend 
upon the responsibility and exertions of indi- 
viduals, whose zeal and perseverance, unsub- 
dued and unabated by difhculty, by delay or 
disappointment, may be surely counted on ; but 
whose unprotected exertions and unaided re- 
sources, whether of power or of capital, must 
necessarily be contingent and precarious, if not 
in their ultimate effect, at least in the accelera- 
tion of the results. 

*' It is now conceived to be apparent that, 
with the adequate aids and sanction from the 
government, the present generation cannot pass 
away without permanent, practical, and impor- 
tant benefits from the experiment benefits — which 
will be felt equally in our social and domestic 
relations, as in the advancement of the great 
objects of political and international morality, 
connected with the suppression of the slave- 
trade : and this nation has ever stood foremost 
in the most decided and viororous efforts to abol- 

o 

ish that opprobrious traffic. 

'^ From the journals kept by the agents of 



226 MEMOIR OF 

their proceedings and personal observations, 
with an abstract of collateral information of un- 
questionable authenticity and great interest, col- 
lected by them from sources not frequently 
accessible to the general reader or inquirer, the 
Society has become possessed of many rare and 
valuable materials, not only for forming a more 
accurate judgment of the utility of the scheme 
of colonization, but also for demonstrating how 
flagrantly and notoriously, and witli what impu- 
nity, the prohibitory laws of the United States, 
and of other nations, in regard to the slave- 
trade, are violated, by their respective citizens 
and subjects. Some important hints also may 
be derived from these documents, for making 
the penal sanctions of those laws more effectual : 
and there is good reason to conclude, that the 
establishment of such a colony as has been pro- 
jected by our Society, may prove an important 
and efficient adjunct to the other preventive 
checks provided by law. 

*' The body of accurate and valuable informa- 
tion thus collected, will be found among the 
documents, which we now beg, Sir, through 
your kind mediation, to present to Congress. 
'* We have the honor to be. 
With great respect. 

Your obedient servants, 

E. B. CALDWELL, ) 
WALTER JONES, ) Committee, 

F. S. KEY, S 
" Washington, Jan, 23^, 1819/' 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 227 

Mr. Burgess, having consigned his companion 
to a watery grave, returned by the way of Eng- 
land to the United States, where he arrived on 
the 22d of October, 1818. The practicability of 
establishing a colony on the coast of Africa, was 
now put beyond a doubt. The desire of the 
natives, the co-operating zeal of the patrons of 
the same general cause in England, and the 
sympathy which was awakened in behalf of a 
cause, to which the life of Mills was sacrificed, 
together with the variety of useful information 
which the agents had collected, brought the so- 
ciety to a full determination to lay the founda- 
tions of their colony, with the least possible de- 
lay. For this purpose, great e^^ertions were 
made in soliciting national and individual aid ; 
in removing the ignorant prejudices of some, 
and the stubborn opposition of others ; in 
makinof a suitable selection from those who 
stood ready to emigrate ; ' and in appointing 
agents who were disposed and qualified to en- 
counter the difficulties, and manage the inte- 
rests of a new settlement. 

In the month of February, 1820, the first 
company of emigrants, under the care of the 
society, sailed for the coast of Africa. This 
expedition was in many respects unfortunate. 
The refusal of the natives to fulfil their contract 
for the sale of lands, and the unhealthy season 
of the year, drove the colonists from the low 
grounds of Sherbro to Sierra Leone ; and while 
there, awaiting further instructions from the 



2'28 MEMOIR OF 

United States, they were joined by a reinforce- 
ment of new colonists. An unsuccessful at- 
tempt was made to purchase, for the projected 
settlement. Cape Montserado. Thus far, the 
affairs of the colony wore but a gloomy aspect, 
and some of its friends were tempted to despair 
of ultimate success: but there were still found 
zealous and able supporters of the noble cause, 
and Providence seemed at length to smile upon 
their exertions. It was chiefly through the 
skill and energy of Doct. Ayres, the Society's 
agent at that time, that a purchase was made, in 
December, 1821, of a tract of land sufficient 
to answer the immediate wants of the colony. 
But a short time elapsed, before the jealousy of 
the natives had increased to such a degree, that 
they made two united furious attempts to exter- 
minate the settlement. They were in both as- 
saults repulsed with great loss : the settlers were 
inspired with confidence in their own strength : 
the spirit of the assailants was broken, and the 
natives were so thoroughly impressed with a 
sense of their own inferiority, that all farther 
molestation has been effectually prevented. 
** Since that period the colony has been con- 
stantly improving, without any interruption or 
impediment, other than those necessarily inci- 
dent to the progress of a new settlement in such 
a situation." *' At no time," says the Annual 
Report of the Society in 1828, ** since the origin 
of this institution, have the Managers of the 
American Colonization Society been permitted 



HE?, iAMUEL J. MILLS. 229 

to appear before the general meeting with such 
entire confidence in the ultimate success of their 
scheme, as at present." The same encouraging 
document states, that the population of the 
colony, including emigrants by recent expedi- 
tions, exceeds twelve hundred persons, five hun- 
dred and thirty three of which had been intro- 
4iuced during the preceding year : three hundred 
and ninety one of them were transferred at the 
expense of the Society. The possessions of the 
colony now extend about one hundred and fifty 
miles along the coast, and to a considerable dis- 
tance into the interior. 

The moral and religious character of the col- 
ony is such as to be highly gratifying to its 
friends, and exerts a powerful and salutary 
influence on its social and civil condition. 
*' The sum of fourteen hundred dollars, includ- 
ing three hundred subscribed by the colonial 
Agent, in the name of the Society, the colonists 
have engaged to pay, annually, for the support 
of schools." Several schools have been es- 
tablished, in which the colonists and quite a 
number of native children receive instruction. 
The library of the colony contains about twelve 
hundred volumes. " It deserves record," says 
Mr. Ashmun, the late colonial Agent, '* that 
religion has been the principal agent employed 
in laying and confirming the foundations of the 
settlement. To this sentiment, ruling, restrain- 
ing, and actuating the minds of a large propor- 
tion of the colonists, must be referred the whole 
20 



230 MEMOIR OF 

Strength of our civil government. Crimes are 
almost unknown ; and the universal respect 
manifested for the Sabbath and the various in- 
stitutions and duties of Christianity, have struck 
the natives with surprise, and excited the admi- 
ration of foreigners.'' The same lamented 
Agent, at another time, represents the want of 
an enlightened ministry, as the most urgent of 
all the actual necessities of the colony. ** How 
it is in other parts of the world," says he, '* I 
know not ; but in this colony I have seen the 
direct and inseparable connexion of the Chris- 
tian religion — taking in its doctrines, its wor- 
ship, and its practical fruits — with all that is 
mentally and morally improving, all that is 
exalting to human nature ; in a word, all that is 
good and excellent among us." 

Four Evangelical Missionary Societies have 
passed resolutions to send Missionaries to the 
colony of Liberia ; and a noble example has al- 
ready been set, by the Society of Basle, in Swit- 
zerland, in sending forth five Missionaries, whom 
** the love of Christ has urged to leave their 
country and friends, and who are ready to spend 
and be spent for the salvation of their African 
brethren." 

Such is the progress of the American Coloni- 
zation Society, and such are its prospects which 
brighten upon the Christian's view : a Society 
which originated in prayer, which has leagued 
together in the accomplishment of its purposes 
the moral might of some of the first men in our 



REV. SAMUEL J, MILLS. 231 

nation, which has been urged on by a sacred 
and resolute band, which rests its ultimate hope 
on the arm of God and the resistless influence 
of his grace. The mind of Mills seized no 
other project with a more confident grasp. The 
clouds of doubts and difficulties which at the 
first clustered around it have begun to disappear, 
and the precious life-drops of Ashmun have just 
set another seal to its triumphant accomplish- 
ment. 

Who can doubt that the true interests of the 
United States, and especially of the slave-hold- 
ing community, are most intimately connected 
with this exalted charity? If there was no other 
motive than pity for the free people of color ; a 
people who enjoy neither the immunities of free- 
men, nor suffer the incapacities of slaves, even 
this would be enough to induce us to say, God 
speed the noble cause ! But when we venture 
to anticipate the intellectual, civil, and moral 
elevation of the whole African race ; when we 
think of the long arrears due that ill-fated coun- 
try from the American people; when we in- 
quire for some security against the continuance 
of the most accursed of all traffics — a traffic in 
human blood ; when, from the lofty summit of 
our privileges, we survey the desolations of 
Africa, and then the prospects of the age, and 
the rising glories of our Immanuel's kingdom ; — 
do there not exist the most constraining obliga- 
tions to restore an outcast people — a people 



233 MEMOIR OF 

" scattered and peeled, meted out and trodden 
under foot," to the land of their fathers ; and in 
defiance of its darkness and misery, to render 
that extensive quarter of the globe the favored 
seat of science, civilization, and Christianity ? 



RET. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 233 



CHAPTER X. 

His last Illness and Death, 

While in Africa, Mr. Mills was exclusively 
devoted to the objects of his agency ; diligent, 
unwearied, watchful, persevering ** in season 
and out of season," almost to a xfault. How 
obvious to the eye even of a careless observer, 
that a Divine superintendence not only raises 
up and qualifies his agents for their work, and 
affords them the opportunity of usefulness, and 
crowns their efforts with success- — but that the 
same invisible and omnipotent energy also limits 
the sphere of their labor ! It is the economy of 
a wise Providence, if I may so speak, not to 
accomplish too much by the agency of any one 
man. ** The Lord of Hosts hath purposed it, 
to stain the pride of all glory." 

Mr. Mills's work was well nigh done. He 
often appeared much less fitted for earth than 
heaven. Few men were apparently more ma- 
tured for *' the glory to be revealed" than he. 
For several of the last weeks of his life particu- 
larly, he enjoyed peculiar manifestations of the 
Divine glory and favor. Though away from his 
20* 



234 MEMOIR OF 

native shores, burnt by the sun, and drenched 
with the rains of an inhospitable clime, that 
Father of Mercies, who is every where present, 
*' put gladness into his heart." After his return 
from Sherbro to Sierra Leone, and while in 
waiting for a passage to England, it was his 
happiness to be the guest of the Rev. Samuel 
Brown, an English Missionary from the Method- 
ist connexion, a man of an excellent spirit, 
and who ** knew the heart of a stranger." Both 
Mr. Brown and Mr. Burgess were led to take 
notice of the spirituality of Mr. Mills during that 
period, and even to make it the subject of pri- 
vate remark. His frame, of mind was unusually 
devout. At their stated seasons for prayer, 
these brethren expressed great delight when the 
duly devolved on him to lead in their devotions, 
and great satisfaction in his peculiar nearness 
to God, and his sweet and delightful views of 
another world. To adopt the sentiment of his 
colleague, ** Notwithstanding my ovvn apprehen- 
sions while in Africa, there was something in 
Mills, while we were at Sierra Leone, which 
left the impression on my mind that he was ripe 
for heaven, and would go before me." 

Having finished his inquiries in Africa, and 
become convinced that he could do no more to 
promote the objects of the American Society, as 
there was no American ship in the vicinity, he 
improved the only opportunity for leaving the 
coast before the rainy season should set in with 
violence, and took passage for London, in the 



RET. SAMUEL J. MtLLS. 285 

brig Success, on the 22d of May, 1818. It was 
a delightful evening when he took his final leave 
of Africa. The sun was just going down, and 
the mountains of Sierra Leone appeared in great 
majesty and beauty. As he stood on the quar- 
ter-deck, taking a last glance at unhappy Ethio- 
pia, his bosom began to heave with the thoughts 
of home. " We may now," said he to his col- 
league, '* be thankful to God, and congratulate 
each other that the labors and dangers of our 
Mission are past. The prospects are fair, that 
we shall once more return to our dear native 
land, and see the faces of our beloved parents 
and friends." To all human appe^arance it was. 
The ship was good, her accom.modations were 
pleasant — the sea air was cool, and the latitude 
toward which they were sailing both agreeable'^ 
and healthful. — '' But my thoughts are not as 
your thoughts," saith Jehovah, *' neither are my 
ways as your ways." What is too vast in the 
works of God for the limited understandincr of 
his people to comprehend, they learn to adore ; 
what is too minute for them to discern, they 
leave to other beings who have clearer percep- 
tions ; what is too high for them to see, they 
look at with admiration ; and what is too deep 
for them to fathom, they pass by without com- 
plaint. 

The health of Mr. Mills before he left the 
United States was slender, having a stricture on 
the lungs, and a dangerous cough. In England 
he complained much of the humidity of the at- 



236 MEMOIR OF 

mosphere, though on the Atlantic, and during bis 
residence in Africa, he enjoyed excellent health. 
During the early part of the voyage, after he 
left the coast, (and we have reason to acknow- 
ledge it with grateful admiration,) he was em- 
ployed in transcribing his loose papers, and em- 
bodying every thing that was of importance to 
his agency. 

On the evening of June the 5th, two weeks 
after he sailed from Sierra Leone, he took a 
heavy cold, became ill, and expressed some ap- 
prehensions of a fever. The ordinary antidotes 
were employed with apparent success. He sat 
up daily, read his letters, manuscripts and books, 
and occasionally walked on deck. He confined 
himself to a light, nutritive diet, and sometimes 
took a little medicine according to his own 
prescriptions. An irregular fever, however, 
lodged about him, disturbing his rest, and some- 
times attended with severe pains in his head. 
It was soon evident that he began to decline. 

On Saturday, the 13th, he sat up a part of 
the day, but was in considerable pain, and very 
restless. 

On Lord's day, the 14th, he had little or no 
fever, and was very composed and much re- 
freshed. It was a day of high spiritual enjoy- 
ment. He conversed freely on religious topics, 
and could not rest without it. His colleague 
would repeat devotional parts of the Psalms, and 
to these he himself would add others with sensi- 
ble emotion, and indeed elevated rapture. Too 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 237 

sensibly to those around him, this Sabbath was 
an earnest of an everlasting rest near at hand. 
In the afternoon and evening he was in some 
pain, his thoughts were confused, and a dis- 
tressing hiccup came on, which filled all his 
fellow-passengers with alarm. 

On Monday, the loth, he had a restless night : 
the hiccup was painful, and almost incessant. 
He had still considerable strength, sat up some, 
and even walked across the cabin. 

On Tuesday morning the hiccup abated — he 
slept, with short intervals of wakefulness — and, 
though his strength was gradually declining, he 
knew those who were around hi{n, and gave 
correct answers to all their inquiries. About 
noon he spoke with some freedom, and his sen- 
timents were full of piety and trust in God. 
Death had no terrors. He seemed to be look- 
ing forward to the immediate presence and en- 
joyment of God in heaven, and to be in constant 
expectancy of that inheritance which is incor- 
ruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. 
Between 2 and 3, P. M. his hiccup ceased. 
There was no convulsion — no deep groan. — He 
gently closed his hands on his breast, as if to 
engage in some act of devotion ; and, while a 
celestial smile settled upon his countenance, 
and every feature expressed the serenity and 
meekness of his soul, he ceased to breathe. — 
*' Mark the righteous man, and behold the up- 
right, for the end of that man is peace." 

Thus, on the sixteenth day of June, 1818, in 



238 MEMOIR OF 

the thirty sixth year of his age, did this beloved 
man close his life of distinguished piety and 
usefidness, and leave Africa and the world to 
mourn ! No monumental marble records his 
worth — no fragrant dews shall descend upon his 
tomb. His dust sleeps unseen amid the pearls 
and coral of the ocean, and long shall his name 
swell upon the breeze, and be echoed from the 
wave. As the sun was going down, all on board 
assembled with great seriousness — a circle of 
mourners — when, with painful solemnity, and 
tender supplications to the God of heaven, his 
body was deposited beneath the mighty waters, 
there to rest till that Great Day when the sea 
shall give up her dead. 



HEV, SAMUEL J. MILLS. 239 



CHAPTER XI. 



His General Character. 



From the preceding pages, it will be seen 
that the general character of Mr. Mills is one of 
no ordinary elevation. Its real dignity and glory 
are not easily described. No tinsel glare, no 
meretricious ornament confounded the purity of 
its lustre ; but always simple, always uniform, 
it appeared in growing beauty; and, like the 
rising light, shone more and more unto the per- 
fect day. 

In nothing was he more distinguished from 
other men, and from his brethren in the minis- 
try, than his deep and uniform piety. Few 
possess more disinterested love to God and man 
than he ; or have given higher demonstrations 
of its influence in forming the human character. 
He was one of those rare instances of exalted 
piety, which owe little to the caresses of others, 
and which shone, not by the light of surround- 
ing orbs, but by the flame of heavenly love. 
There was in his heart, and in his life, some- 
thing more easily explained by reference to the 



240 MEMOIR OF 

higher exercises of religion, and the influences 
of the Spirit of God, than by any knowledge of 
human nature, or observation of ordinary piety. 
I'here was a constancy and uniformity of Chris- 
tian affection, which, to an unusual degree, 
adorned his character with the ** beauty of holi- 
ness." 

None that knew him will question that he 
possessed a most heavenly mind. There ap« 
peared to be nothing in his heart, and certainly 
there was nothing in his life, that evinced an at- 
tachment to the wealth, or honors, or enjoyments 
of earth. That *^ love of gold," which tarnishes 
the character of so many who profess to have 
*' their treasure in heaven," and which does not 
leave untarnished the reputation of many an 
ambassador of the cross, seemed to have no 
access to his bosom. He lived as though he 
was '* a stranger and pilgrim" on the earth, and 
had nothing to expect, except from above. 

He was eminently a man of prayer. He 
appeared to take great delight in this exercise. 
On common occasions he said but little ; but he 
conversed with God. In every recurrence of 
doubt or difficulty, prayer was his resort and his 
relief His freedom in this exercise was equal- 
led only by the fervency and disinterestedness 
of his petitions. There were some observable 
peculiarities in his devotions, and that not only 
in those that were public, but those that were 
merely social, and of a more private kind. He 
seldom prayed much for himself; but the bur- 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. S41 

den of his desires seems to have been for others. 
I weep with joy, when I read in one of his last 
letters to his father, ** Long may you live to 
pray for Zion 1" Some of his friends will recol- 
lect, with much satisfaction, the prominent place 
which the person, and mediation, and govern- 
ment, and glory of the Redeemer, were wont to 
hold, in his addresses to the mercy-seat. In all 
his devotions also, he imbibed the habit of pre- 
senting the object of his present desires, with 
almost exclusive urgency. That which lay with 
most weight upon his heart, and predomiriated 
in his conversation, v/as the principal and often 
the only subject of his entreaties. \ In a recent 
communication, the father of Mr. Mills remarks, 
" One thing noticeable, with regard to my son, 
is this : — that he wonderfully succeeded in every 
benevolent plan he devised and became engaged 
in, so far as my knowledge extends, without 
being frustrated in any instance. The thought 
hath turned on my mind, whether this consider- 
ation does not afford abundant evidence that he 
was in the habit of committing all his concerns 
to Providence, and seeking God's aid and guid- 
ance in every measure he pursued." There are 
plans of benevolence which bear no relation to 
the closet, and which flow from no other mo- 
tives than those which might dwell in the bosom' 
of a virtuous heathen. Another day will siiow 
how far they fall short of what God requires and 
approves. What Mr. Mills proposed seemed 
to be suggested and matured by prayer, and 
21 



242 MEMOIR OF 

flowed from the elevated and holy sentiments 
originating at the throne of grace, and aiming 
at the glory of God. In the duty of prayer, Mr. 
Mills greatly abounded. Beside many days of 
fasting and prayer, unknown to others, unless 
by accident, he often invited a small society at 
Andover, of which he was the founder, to set 
apart a day for that purpose. One of his inti- 
mate friends, and a member of this Society, 
remarks, — '* Often have I met him in the fields, 
or in the woods, absorbed in meditation, or lost 
and overcome in communion with God. Some- 
times when I have called on him in the morn- 
ing, with a view to some engagements previously 
contemplated, something in the conversation 
would awaken in him an insurmountable desire 
to devote the day to fasting and prayer." 

One of the charms of Mr. Mills's character 
was his UNFEIGNED HUMILITY. His modesty 
and unobtrusiveness concealed his excellence 
from vulgar observation. His most intimate 
companions felt that the world knew him not. 
He loved what he conceived to be a kindred 
spirit ; and would sometimes unbosom himself 
in such a manner as to make his auditor blush 
and be silent. Among the few occasions on 
which he was ever known to advert to the won- 
derful results which God had been pleased to 
bring about through his instrumentality, was an 
interview with Mr. Burgess, on the afternoon of 
a Sabbath, while on their voyage from England 
to Africa. They were alone in the cabin ; but 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 243 

to be more secure from interruption, Mr. Mills 
invited Mr. Burgess into his state-room. With 
a mind evidently burdened, and wishing to un- 
bosom itself, he said something of the nature of 
their embassy to Africa, and of the propriety of 
their possessing a more perfect knowledge of 
each others' history, views, and hopes. In the 
course of the conversation, he w^as led to speak 
of the course of Divine Providence toward him, 
and the operation of divine grace upon his heart. 
While remarking on the imperfect evidences of 
his personal piety, and the usual lowness of his 
spiritual enjoyments, he wept. Supposing his 
mind to be rather in a state of depression, Mr. 
Burgess alluded to his life and exertion for the 
cause of the Redeemer, as affording to his 
friends a better testimony of the power of reli- 
gion, than any which he himself could other- 
wise give. This brought into view what God 
had done by his instrumentality, and the impor- 
tant part which he had been called to act, in 
giving existence to some of the great systems of 
benevolent exertion which bless our land, and 
do honor to the Christian name. Mr. Mills re- 
plied, that from the time he began his educa- 
tion, it had been his uniform desire, and the ex- 
tent of his ambition, to sit down in some ob- 
scure corner of the earth, where he mio^ht adore 
the sovereign grace of God, and instruct a few 
who were perishing for lack of knowledge, in 
the knowledge of the only Saviour. He con- 
tinued to weep much, and said that this retire- 



244 MEMOIR OF 

ment was still his desire and hope. His friend 
remarked that Divine Providence had marked 
out his path, and qualified him for his work ; 
and if his life should be protracted, he should 
be grateful for the opportunity of still more ex- 
tensive services. Here Mr. Mills made some 
efforts to give utterance to his feelings ; but the 
deep self-abasement, the tears of gratitude, the 
admiration of God's goodness, with which he 
spake, were such as never to be forgotten. To 
adopt his friend's representation, **he appeared 
to be broken in heart, to annihilate himself, and 
to be unable ever a2:ain to look on the face of 
man.'^ Such was the impression of this inter- 
view upon the mind of his companion, that 
though he thought he had long been acquainted 
with the excellence of his friend, he saw that he 
had been a stranger to it till then ; and though 
he had had great evidence of his humility, he 
never witnessed such lowliness in any individual 
before. What a lesson to the great mass of 
men, to see such a man overwhelmed with 
abasing views of his own vileness ! It is truly 
affecting to hear Samuel J. Mills say, " I many 
times fear that i shall yet be dashed in pieces, as 
a vessel in which the Master has no pleasure." 

More than in most other examples, the real 
dignity and glory of Mr. Mills's character con- 
sisted in SIMPLE BENEVOLENCE. Ho wcnt about 
doing good. His highest delight appeared to 
be m doing the will of God. As it was in this 
that he abounded, and was indefatigable, so it 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 24^ 

was In this that he enjoyed the highest satisfac- 
tion. It was to him the most pleasant thing in 
the world to ** be about his Father's b'-siness." 
He sought not his own, but the things that are 
Jesus Christ's. It is but justice to say, that our 
admiration of his character is not divided be- 
tween his benevolence, and a multitude of other 
more splendid, but less useful qualities. After 
all tliat affection can say for his memory, his 
benevolence was that which most distinguished 
him. In this one quality he stands forward, and 
commands our admiration and love. When 
contemplating the main projects of benevolence, 
in which this eminently useful rhan was en- 
gaged, we are not to forget that he was a 
preacher of the everlasting gospel, — instant in 
season and out of season, to inculcate its doc- 
trines, and enforce its obligations in their purity 
and power. At one tim.e, he was pointing out 
to some society an important Missionary station ; 
at another, he was procuring some useful ser- 
mon or tract to be printed and circulated ; at 
another, he was visiting some hospital or prison, 
and there distributing the Bible, or dispensing 
the word of life from his own lips. Every place 
he visited, every person he saw, furnished him 
the opportunity of doing or obtaining some good, 
which he knew how to improve, and seldom 
failed of improving. His singleness of heart 
carried him forward, though silently and un- 
heeded by the votaries of fame, yet with a sure 
and steady progress. 
21* 



216 MEMOIR OP 

Nor was his benevolence often, if ever, de- 
feated by rashness or imprudence. He possess- 
ed no staai! decree of judgment and discrtmi- 
NATION. The wisdom of the serpent was scarce- 
ly less conspicuous in him, than the innocence 
of the dove. Eagerly as he was bent upon the 
accomplishment of his work, perhaps he has not 
been known to go forward at the expense of 
practical wisdom. He seldom failed to give 
proof of the superiority of his discretion, in 
pointing out the means of operation, in enlisting 
and combining extraneous agency, and in se- 
lecting the agency best adapted to his purpose. 
There was a wonderful adaptation to times, and 
places, and men, in his topics of conversation. 
He seemed to know almost intuitively on what 
subjects any particular individual could give him 
information, or could be profited by information 
lie had to give. When his object required the 
co-operation of great men, he wrought upon 
them through the medium of their own thoughts 
and impressions rather than his, and gained the 
conquest without betraying the power. He car- 
ried his measures, rather by his prudence, his 
perseverance, and by the various means he 
brought to bear on any particular project, and 
which he kept concealed from the public eye, 
than by a show of commanding talent, or per- 
sonal address. Indeed, he himself seemed un- 
conscious of his influence, because the exertion 
of it was always subordinate to noble ends. 

It is hardly necessary to add, that with this 



IIEV. SAMVEL J. MILLS. *'^47 

benevolence and practical wisdom, he was not 
destitute of great energy of mind and action. 
Whether in intellectual endowments he was su- 
perior to the great mass of mankind, some who 
loved him may have been disposed to question. 
But if a mind teeming with plans, and those the 
most extended and judicious; if a life accom- 
plisliing a greater amount of good than has fal- 
len to the lot of most of the greatest and the b^st 
to accomplish, be evidence of greatness, Mr. 
Mills was great. Of no man may it v/ith great- 
er truth be said, that the resources of his mind 
were known only to those who were intimate 
with his heart ; and were, perhaps,^ fully appre- 
ciated by few even of them. They were not 
developed upon set occasions, or by studied^ 
effort ; but brought out as the objects for which 
he lived required them, and were never found 
unequal to the emergencies of a career so extra- 
ordinary and illustrious, and a life so full of 
labors and events as his. The propriety of his 
appointment to Africa was, in the first instance, 
questioned by some who knew him only by a 
little personal intercourse, and who did not 
know that under the appearance of something 
like indifference and inertness, was concealed 
an activity of mind, a resource in the adoption 
of means, and an immutability of purpose, which 
nothin(T could divert or discouracre. I have seen 
men who could devise for a section of the 
church, and for a kingdom ; but 1 never saw a 
man who, from the Gxtent of his information 



248 MEMOIR OV 

and the correctness of his judgment, could de- 
vise so well, so benevolently for a world. And 
he knew not only how to devise, but how to 
execute. He was not only the author of those 
plans which marked the course of his own ex- 
ertions, but ever fruitful of the details requisite* 
to their accomplishment, and foremost to per- 
ceive and obviate the objections which might 
be raised against them, as well as in every en- 
terprize, to set an example of steady, laborious 
zeal. He was not inspired by a bright and 
glowing genius : he affected no mere accom- 
plishments of manners, or of mind : he made no 
pretensions to high attainments in science : he 
possessed no eloquence but that of a benevolent 
heart, every where breathing through an ener- 
getic mind, and consecrated to the most sacred 
cause. 

Fixedness of purpose was a prominent trait 
of his character. Given up to God as a Mis- 
sionary by his mother in his infancy, and by 
himself at his conversion ; and having borne 
the subject forward through his whole college 
course, and gathered around him a little com- 
pany of choice spirits, we soon saw^ him submit- 
ting the cause which he so fondly cherished, 
and with it hirrsself, to the care and direction of 
his Reverend Fathers. * A call to the ministry,' 
says an able writer, * consists in a desire for the 
work, and ahiliiy to perform it.' The same is 
true of the Missionary cause. Mr. Mills desired 
the work. But, why, it has frequently been 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILX.S. 249 

asked, did he not encra^e in Foreign Missions? 
Was it because he had no desire for the work ] 
His whole heart was bound up in it. Was it 
because he feared aught that could oppose him 
in the enterprize 1 It was enough for him to 
know that God required the sacrifice, and the 
victim was ready at the appointed hour. *' His 
friends," says his sister, *^ thought he was too 
hasty in proposing to engage in a Mission, be- 
fore he had finished his theological studies. 
Whether he was influenced by their advice, or 
a consciousness that he was not prepared for 
the contemplated Mission, or b&th^I cannot tell, 
ut he gave up his place to his friend, Mr. Hall, 
vv ho was then a licensed preacher, and in readi- 
ness to enofacj-e in a Mission." Besides, it was 
thvug it all-important for the interest of the 
cause that he should remain at home, and that 
the life of the enterprize was connected with 
his instrumentality. If other men had not 
come forv/ard for the *' first out-fit," no man 
that knew Samuel J. Mills can doubt but that 
he would have enlisted, and if necessary would 
have gone forth like Swartz and Martyn single- 
handed to the great and glorious warfare. 

Another very observable trait in the character 
of Mr/Mills, was his liberality of sentiment 

TOWARD CHRISTIANS OP DIFFERENT DENOMINA- 
TIONS. He was indeed very far from, being an 
advocate for that latitu Jinarian liberality a.nd 
modern Catholicism, which makes no distinction 
between esscHtial and unessential doctrines, and 



250 MEMOIR OF 

which yield their confidence to every class of 
errorists, without discrimination. Few men un= 
derstood and loved the important doctrines of 
the gospel better than he, or were more wil- 
ling to bear their proportion of the contempt 
and reproach attached to a firm adherence to 
the truth. 

But while he understood and loved the truth, 
he manifested great candor and forbearance to- 
wards those whose prejudices or whose igno- 
rance led them to the adoption of views in some 
respects different from his own. He took great 
pains to cultivate harmony among different sects 
and denominations of Christians, as well as dil^ 
ferent parties of the same denomination. He 
had long been convinced that good men attach 
too much importance to principles in which they 
differ, and not enough to those in which they 
agree. He used often to say, that he found 
pious men in all denominations, and all parties ; 
and enjoyed high satisfaction in holding fellow- 
ship with Christians of every name. 

The habits of his life were well adapted to 
the cultivation of these generous and delightful 
sentiments. In his pity for heathen lands, he 
could hardly have patience to be obstructed in 
his progress by the unessential points of differ- 
ence which agitated churches that had long 
enjoyed the blessings of the great salvation. 
Whatever may have been his views of their im- 
portance in some departments of Christian duty, 
he always lost sight of them when they appeared 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 251 

to come in competition with extended plans for 
the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom. 
Presbyterians and Congregationalists, Episcopa- 
lians, Methodists, and Baptists, all gave him 
their hearts as a Christian, and have been known 
to open their pulpits to him as a minister of the 
gospel. He lived and died as though the sal- 
vation of the heathen was an object important 
enough to unite the thoughts and affections, the 
prayers and labors of the great family of believ- 
ers throuQ^hout the world ; and to the everlastinsf 
abjuration of all that party spirit, those narrow 
prejudices, and those sleepless jealousies, which 
have so long disturbed the tranquillity of the 
church. When shall the spirit of mutual ani- 
mosity and crimination be superseded and eradi- 
cated by the irrepressible desire to glorify God, 
and see him glorified in the conversion of the 
world ! O that the season of chilling alienation 
had gone by — that " the winter were past, and 
the rain were over and gone ; that the time of 
the singing of birds were come, and the voice 
of the turtle were heard in our land !" — But I 
forget my theme. 

Such was Samuel J. Mills. But I must for- 
bear savinoc more of one, who was ever reluc- 
tant to speak or to hear of himself, and seek 
rather to possess than publish his virtues. 



252 MEMOIR OP 



CONCL-USIO:^, 



The writer has thus discharged a duty, for 
which he has felt no small degree of incompe- 
tence, but in the performance of which he has 
received no small degree of comfort and instruc- 
tion. Who can survey the leading events of 
such a life, and the prominent excellencies of 
such a character, Vvithout being alternately 
hutnbled for his own deficiencies, and animated 
to more vigorous exertion ? A career so illus- 
trious, may well excite every reflecting man to 
** forget the things that are behind, and press 
forv/ard to those that are before.'' 

If there is one sentiment which a view of this 
devoted man's exertions is calculated to impress 
more deeply than another, it is the prncticahility 
of accGmpIishing a great amoujit of good in 
one short life. In adverting to the preceding 
pages, we involuntarily give way to the excla- 
mation, What cannot one man accomplish ! 
Without resources, without vigorous health, 
without, fame, and with only a heart devoted 
to God, how much may be effected in one short 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 253 

life ! — When we hear an obscure licentiate of 
the gospel ministry, with modest intrepidity, 
addressing one of his brethren in language like 
this, ** Though you and I are very little beings, 
we must not rest satisfied until our influence is 
felt to the remotest corner of this ruined world ;" 
we may well blush, and be ashamed that we 
know no more how to make the most of human 
life. 

Men are not apt enough to lay out their plans 
for extended action. In this respect, how nmch 
wiser are the men of the world, in their genera- 
tion, than the children of light? How magnifi- 
cent the plans, how unwearied the Vatchfulness, 
how persevering the efforts after worldly ao;gran- 
dizement? How ardent the hopes, how in- 
spirited, how confident the expectation of men 
in the eager pursuit of the meat that perisheth, 
and the crown that fadeth away ? Ah, what a 
weight of reproach falls upon the head of that 
Christian who can quietly see the interests of 
his Master's kingdom languish for the want of 
determined exertion ? ** Expect great things — 
ATTEMPT GREAT THiNGs" — should be the sacrcd 
and unalterable motto of men in e\ery depart- 
ment of active labor, who have consecrated 
themselves to Jesus Christ. If a pagan could 
adopt the maxim, " Nothing is too difficult to 
be accomplished by mortals ;" with what confi- 
dence may a Christian say, '' I can do all things 
through Christ strengthening me ?" — U he pur- 
22 



254 MEMOIR OF 

sues an object replete with responsibility, he 
also has encouragement peculiar to himself, and 
resources which the world knows not of. He 
may have a deep impression of his own weak- 
ness and insufficiency ; but why should he not 
have strong confidence in the sufficiency of 
promised grace ? Why should he not let go his 
own weakness, and take hold of divine strength ? 
Why should he not be '' strong in the Lord^ 
and- in the power of his might ?'' Nay, why 
may he not, ** glory in his infirmity, that the 
power of Christ may rest on him ?" 

Under the influence of the example which 
this volume presents, who is there that will not 
be awake to the demands of duty, and begin to 
enjoy the exalted satisfaction of consecrating 
his undivided heart and life to a cause greater 
than his own, and that with pious zeal and in- 
tense application ? What are a few years of 
labor and fatigue, a few scenes of suffering and 
sorrow — what is one short life of self-denying^ 
humble, prayerful, patient exertion, for an ob- 
ject so immeasurably important as the glory of 
God in the salvation of men ? Should one soli- 
tary Christian, at the close of these pages, insti- 
tute the solemn inquiry, How shall I make the 
most of human life 7 they will not have been 
written in vain. 

In making up his judgment on so momentous 
an inquiry, no man, at the present age of the 
world, can satisfy his conscience, without taking 



REY. SAMUEL J. MItLS. 355 

into the account the grand objects to which the 
subject of this narrative was so successfully de- 
voted. There is a mighty work yet to be ac- 
complished for the redemption of fallen men. 
Though a few sections of the globe have been 
delivered from their galling manacles, whole 
liingdoms are to the present hour in the ** bonds 
of iniquity." ** Darkness covereth the earth, 
and gross darkness the people." According to 
the most judicious calculations, the population 
of the earth may be computed at eight hundred 
millions. Of these there are 

In Asia, 500,000,000 

Africa, 90,000,000 

Europe, . , . . 180,000,000 
America, .... 30,000,000 

Total, 800,000,000 

The proportion of those who bear the Chris- 
tian name, has been judged to be. 

In Asia, ...... 2,000,000 

Africa, 3,000,000 

Europe, 177,000,000 

America, .... 18,000,000 

In all, 200,000,000 

leaving six hundred millions who are destitute 
of the gospel. Let any man whom *^ the day- 
spring from on high hath visited," survey these 
regions of darkness and death without emotion, 



256 MEMOIR OF 

if he can. Eighteen hundred years have passed 
away since the blood of propitiation was shed 
for the sins of the World, and three-fourths of 
the world are at the present hour ignorant of 
the stupendous sacrifice. The single empire 
of China contains more immortal beings than 
there are expectants of a happy immortality on 
the face of the whole earth. 

Who is not covered with confusion, who is 
not filled with horror, when he contemplates the 
value of one deathless soul, and ventures to un- 
cover those dark regions, where the *' god of 
this world," whose despotism is so relentless, 
holds so large a portion of the human family in 
abject and hopeless bondage t Is it so, that 
there are now on the earth six hundred millions 
of men, who are *' children of disobedience and 
wrath'* — six hundred millions, who are "crowd- 
ing the habitations of cruelty** — six hundred 
millions, with no assurance of an hereafter — 
without a God — without a Providence — without 
a Saviour — " v*^ithout holiness," and " without 
hope," groping their way through this world, 
and unmoved only when they can banish all 
apprehension of the next ? *' O that my head 
were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears 1" 
One would think there were enough in the con- 
templation of pagan pollution and wretchedness, 
to prove an effectual excitement to Missionary 
exertion. Where is tljat zeal for the honor of 
God J that abhorrence of human impiety, that 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS. 257 

compassion for the souls of men, which are at 
all commensurate with the' mighty considerations 
that ought to call them into action? If it is not 
an idle dream, that all who die in their sins 
must sink into an eternal hell ; why is not the 
heart of Christendom penetrated with grief and 
sorrow for pagan lands ? Why is there no more 
love for the poor heathen ? Will the churches 
never awake from this guilty slumber, and com- 
mence the work of publishing the gospel to 
every creature ? 

If the world we inhabit is not under the ob- 
scure dominion of chance, but th^ direction of 
a wise and holy Governor, a new era is one day 
to open upon the earth. Moralists have taught, 
and poets have sung, that this iron age is to 
pass away, and notwithstanding this dreadful 
perspective, that the golden age of light and 
love is yet to stretch its splendors from pole to 
pole. From infinitely higher authority too we 
know, that the Mediatorial Prince is on the 
throne, and that ** He shall have dominion from 
sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the 
earth. The heathen are his inheritance, and 
the uttermost parts of the earth are for his pos- 
session. All the ends of the earth shall remem- 
ber and turn unto the Lord.'' Nor is it difficult 
to see that these predictions are in a train of 
accomplishment. Long as the event has been 
delayed, long as the prince of darkness has 
reigned almost without molestation ; the king- 



258 MEMOIR OP 

dom of Christ even now begins to extend its 
authority, and the glories of that kingdom to 
look toward their consummation. Within these 
last seven and thirty years, God has been bring- 
ing into view, more distinctly than ever, his 
own omnipotent hand, in governing the world 
for the sake of the church. Kings begin to be 
foster-fathers, and queens foster-mothers to the 
daughter of Zion ; and good men and bad are 
combining their energies for the sacred cause of 
God's dear Son. 

Who then will not come up to the help of the 
Lord against the mighty ? Is it not high time 
that every man, who ventures to look toward the 
sacred ministry, should seriously ponder, wheth- 
er it may not possibly be his duty to live and 
die among the heathen ? Go, devoted youth — 
take your Saviour's last command, and spread 
it before you ; and before you decide on your 
destination for the present world, set apart one 
day of fasting and prayer, with a view to ascer- 
tain your duty to God and your fellow-men, in 
this vast concern 1 Is it not high time for every 
sober Christian to consider himself as an agent 
for the kingdom of Christ among the heathen, 
and under the hiorhest oblioration to consecrate 
himself in a thousand ways to this all-important 
service ? Go, consecrated disciple — employ to 
the utmost, and on every occasion, every degree 
of influence you possess, and all the means in 
your povver, to diffuse the Missionary spirit, and 



REV. SAMUEL J. MILLS^ 259 

plant Immanuers standard on every land. Is it 
not high time for every rational man to say, I 
lay it down as a maxim of my life, and will 
hereafter regard it as one of the principles of 
my conduct, that the world is to be converted 
to Christ ? 



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PUBLISHED BY 

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LETTERS OF A FATHER. Expressions of Paternal 
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"The important instruction which this book contains, coming, as 
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HARBINGERS OF THE REFORMATION ; or a Bi- 
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author of the ^' History of the Reformation." 

"The children of the Protestants should be familiar with the deeds 
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« 

SIMPLE MEMORIALS. Simple Memorials of an Irish 
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the Missionary Geography. 

" The artless simplicity of this narrative stamps it with the seal of 
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